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Dream pairings have had an Australian Open flavour through the years
January 15, 2025
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's player-coach partnership is one of many between two former World No. 1's at the Australian Open.
William West/AFP vía Getty
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's player-coach partnership is one of many between two former World No. 1's at the Australian Open.
By ATP Staff
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic shared one of the most dramatic moments in ATP No. 1 Club history a little more than eight years ago. In a winner-takes-all showdown in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match in London, Murray edged Djokovic to clinch the title and ATP Year-End No. 1 honours presented by PIF with his 24th consecutive match win to close out the season.

Fast forward to the 2025 Australian Open and the former World No. 1s have gone from rivals to partners as Djokovic looks to claim his 11th title in Melbourne – and 100th career trophy – with Murray now serving as his coach.

The union is the latest player-coach partnership to feature two members of the ATP No. 1 Club. The players have plenty of history at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic beat Murray four times in the final.

“He knows the evolution of my game, the weaknesses and strengths of my game,” Djokovic said of Murray, a three-time major champion. “We first faced each other when we were 12 years old. There's a lot of communication about every shot in the game, my game, tactics, mental approach, communication on the court during matches, practice sessions. His tennis IQ is very high, we all know that.

“I wanted to have somebody that has won multiple Slams, the list is not that long, somebody that really understands what it means to win a Slam, what it means to face the adversity, the pressure, the expectations. [He is] someone that is a legend of the sport, just showing everyone what it means to be a champion in a real sense of that word.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a>, <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andy ... view'>Andy Murray</a>Novak Djokovic takes mid-match advice from coach Andy Murray at the 2025 Australian Open. Photo: Getty Images.

"After everything he's achieved, he's looking for a bit of motivation," Murray told The Project. "One of my strengths as a player was strategy. I don't think you can become as great as he has become if you don't listen and are not open minded."

Although the foundations of the Djokovic-Murray partnership may seem surprising, it is not the first time that two World No. 1s have joined forces in this capacity. As part of our ATP No. 1 Club series, ATPTour.com looks back on some dream partnerships of years past.

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Boris Becker & Novak Djokovic (2014-16)
Becker coached Djokovic to six of his record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including two at his favoured Australian Open. A two-time champion in Melbourne himself (1991, 1996), the German was able to guide Djokovic back from his quarter-final defeat in 2014 to back-to-back triumphs in the following years.

After clinching his maiden title at Roland Garros in 2016, Djokovic held all four Slam titles at the same time. The Serbian also won 14 ATP Masters 1000s during his time with Becker, including three-peats at Indian Wells and Miami.

“The goals we set when we started working together have been completely fulfilled," Djokovic said at in a statement announcing their split. "I want to thank him for the cooperation, teamwork, dedication and commitment."

Carlos Moya & Rafael Nadal (2017-2024)
Moya and Nadal squared off eight times on the ATP Tour from 2003-08, with Nadal claiming a 6-2 edge in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Spaniards met when Nadal was 11 years old. Nineteen years later, when Nadal was 30, he brought on Moya as coach.

Whilst working with Moya, Nadal had struggled to cross the line at the Australian Open, falling short in the 2017 and 2019 title-matches. Yet Moya, the 1997 finalist, was finally able to witness his charge succeed in Melbourne when Nadal sealed an epic comeback from two-set-to-love down against Daniil Medvedev in 2022.

"Now that everything is over, I have many memories of an incredible period of my life that will never be matched," Moya recently reflected. "It’s something I’ll always carry with me. I’m grateful that he thought I could form part of his team for this adventure."

It All Adds Up

Stefan Edberg & Roger Federer (2014-15)
Federer brought his childhood idol Edberg onto his team for the 2014 season, and the pair agreed to extend what was initially a one-year arrangement for a second season in 2015. Edberg, a two-time Australian Open champion, helped Federer to a fourth consecutive semi-final in Melbourne in 2014. Federer also reached three major finals during their time together, two at Wimbledon and a third at the 2015 US Open.

Following the conclusion of their partnership, Federer went on to lift back-to-back Australian Open trophies in 2017 and 2018. The Swiss great ended his playing career in 2022, having triumphed in Melbourne on six occasions.

“It was a dream come true,” Federer said at the close of his partnership with Edberg. “He taught me so much, and his influence on my game will remain. He will always be a part of my team.”

Edberg and Federer pose with Federer's 2015 ATP Awards: the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award and the Fans' Favourite singles award. Photo by Getty Images.

Juan Carlos Ferrero & Carlos Alcaraz (2018-Present)
Ferrero began working with his fellow Spaniard when Alcaraz was 15 in 2018. As Alcaraz has risen to the very top of the ATP Tour, Ferrero has been with him every step of the way — from his breakthrough into the Top 500, to his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2022, to his third and fourth Grand Slam titles in 2024.

At the 2025 Australian Open, Ferrero will guide the 21-year-old as he continues his quest to become the youngest man of all time to complete the Career Grand Slam.

"He is tough. He is a very serious person when he has to be, when it comes to work and discipline, he is very hard on you," Alcaraz said of his longtime coach. "But he is also very, very funny when he has to be. He knows how to differentiate the moments very well.”

Andre Agassi & Novak Djokovic (2017-18)
Agassi was part of Djokovic's team for nearly a year from mid-2017, alongside Radek Stepanek. While their partnership was informal and without a contract, Djokovic benefited from the experience of a player who had also been to the very top of the game.

"He was genuinely wanting to help and to give me advice and to share his experience with me, and that speaks enough about him as a person," Djokovic said when announcing the end of their partnership. "He’s someone that I always admired as a player and a person. The last eight, nine months with Andre was amazing. The amount of things that I learned, not just about tennis but about life in general... for that I’m very grateful."

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andr ... iew'>Andre Agassi</a>, <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a>Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic at the 2018 Australian Open. Photo by: Getty Images.

Jimmy Connors & Andy Roddick (2006-08)
Roddick won the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 and reached the 2006 US Open final shortly after hiring Connors in 2006. The explosive American then carried that form into a rock-solid 2007 season, highlighted by his semi-final run at the Australian Open. The partnership, which lasted a year and a half, saw Roddick rise as high as No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

"Jimmy hadn't been around the Tour in 15 years," Roddick recently said on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast. "But I knew that when I was teeing off, first round, Arthur Ashe Stadium, under the lights, US Open, he knew exactly what I was feeling when I walked out there."

Serbian beats Faria in four, next meets 26th seed Machac
January 15, 2025
Novak Djokovic claims sole ownership of the all-time record for Grand Slam singles matches played with 430.
William West/AFP via Getty Images
Novak Djokovic claims sole ownership of the all-time record for Grand Slam singles matches played with 430.
By ATP Staff
For the second straight match of his Australian Open campaign, Novak Djokovic was pushed to four sets by a Grand Slam debutant. After beating 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy in the opening round, he battled past 21-year-old qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday to continue his quest for a 25th major singles title and 100th tour-level crown.

Like in his match against the American Basavareddy, Djokovic was stressed by his younger opponent but ultimately took command to run out a comfortable winner. A fast start staked the 37-year-old a lead of a set and a break, but a dip in form allowed Portugal's Faria to rattle off four straight games to announce himself in Rod Laver Arena. Though Djokovic forced a tie-break, he could not stop the No. 125 in the PIF ATP Rankings from dictating with his serve and forehand to take the second set.

"I think I responded very well in the third and particularly fourth set, the way I ended the match," said the Serbian. "He was playing lights-out tennis towards the end of the second set and beginning of the third. I had to weather the storm. He's been practically serving two first serves the entire match. It's not easy to play someone like that who doesn't have obviously anything to lose coming out. He's a big guy, very young... so I told him at the net, the future is bright for him, he should keep going."


With coach Andy Murray urging him to move forward and take control of the court, Djokovic quickly shifted the match back in his direction. He faced just one break point in the last two sets, according to Infosys Stats, winning 90 per cent of his first-serve points in those sets to close out the victory in three hours.

Next up for Djokovic will be a third-round meeting with 26th-seeded Czech Tomas Machac, a 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-4 winner against Reilly Opelka earlier on Wednesday. The pair split two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings in 2023 and 2024, with Machac winning their most recent showdown in last year's Geneva semi-finals. Both previous matchups went three sets, with Djokovic taking their first encounter in Dubai in a decisive tie-break.

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The 10-time Australian Open champ is through to the Melbourne third round for the 17th time in 20 appearances. By contesting his 430th Grand Slam singles match, he passed Roger Federer to claim sole ownership of the all-time record for most major singles matches played among men and women.

"I love this sport. I love competition," Djokovic said when told of that milestone. "I try to give my best every single time. It's been over 20 years that I've been competing in Grand Slams at the highest level. Whether I win or lose one thing is for sure: I'll always leave my heart out on the court."

Djokovic is bidding to become the oldest player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title, a record that currently belongs to Ken Rosewall, who won the 1972 Australian Open at the age of 37 years and 62 days. At the end of this Melbourne fortnight, Djokovic will be 37 years and 249 days old.

Djokovic discusses the challenges of playing up-and-coming opponents after Faria win
January 15, 2025
Novak Djokovic and Jaime Faria at the net after their Australian Open second-round clash.
William West/AFP via Getty Images
Novak Djokovic and Jaime Faria at the net after their Australian Open second-round clash.
By Andy West
For his second Australian Open match in a row, Novak Djokovic’s experience trumped the exuberance of youth on Wednesday at Melbourne Park.

The record 10-time champion overcame 21-year-old Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 to book his third-round spot at the hard-court major. After Djokovic also needed four sets to prevail against #NextGenATP star Nishesh Basavareddy in his opening match, the Serbian was asked about the challenge of playing opponents that are just starting out on their respective tennis journeys.

“I've had plenty of matches in my career, particularly in the last five, seven, eight years, where I'll play opponents that I've never faced before,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic at his post-match press conference after the Faria match. “On centre court, maybe their first ever centre court match in any Grand Slam, and they just come out firing, have basically nothing to lose.

“It's always tricky to play these kinds of opponents, mentally to sustain that level. Obviously, you don't know whether they're maybe going to fold under the pressure of playing on the centre court or they're actually going to go the different way, which I think both of my opponents in first and second round did: Feed off that energy and just play their lights-out tennis.

“[Today] was a great test for me. Yeah, I wish maybe I stayed a set less on the court today. Again, I'm happy with the way I ended up the match. Good fashion, good mindset. Looking forward to the next one.”


Djokovic was happy to pull through against Faria after another match in which he did not consistently produce his best level. He acknowledged that his Portuguese opponent’s aggressive approach on serve had made life particularly difficult in the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I really like the way I started the match and finished the match,” said the record 24-time major champion. “The first and fourth set were the best. I was in control with a break up in the second, then dropped my level. Lost four games in a row. Managed to get back to the tie-break. He was the better player. I think he was firing from all cylinders.

“At one point he was difficult to play against because he was practically serving two first serves and going for his shots. Logically he was pumped when he won the second set.

“I feel like I managed to focus in the important moments and make that crucial break at 3-2 in the third. From that moment onwards, I feel like I upped my game a bit and played a really good, good fourth set. Overall another big test. Another three-hour match, back-to-back against the youngsters. Congratulations to him for a great battle. He's really a good player that has a lot of potential, as has [Basavareddy].”

You May Also Like: Djokovic battles past another Grand Slam debutant
Djokovic’s victory against Faria was his 430th main-draw match at Grand Slams, taking him past Roger Federer for sole ownership of the all-time record among men and women. At the other end of the experience scale at the majors is 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Joao Fonseca, who on Tuesday played his maiden main-draw contest at that level.

The 18-year-old Fonseca only further fuelled the excitement around his talent with a stunning straight-sets win against Andrey Rublev in Melbourne. As a former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and all-time great of the game, Djokovic was asked for his thoughts on the Brazilian’s prospects.

“I just met him for the first time, literally five minutes before I came into the room,” said Djokovic. “I congratulated him not only on the win last night that I've seen, the last set I've seen, but also everything he has been doing the last six to 12 months. I've been following his rise, and I just love how he plays the big points. Courageous, very clean hitter, all-around player.

“Brazil is a huge country. Super important for our sport to have a very good player coming from Brazil. I think they haven't had a player maybe of that calibre since Guga Kuerten. It's exciting times for Brazil, but also for the whole tennis world because such a young player and person to be able to play so good on a big stage is impressive.

“I've been a fan of his game. I've been watching him also last year. I think in one of my interviews for ATP I was saying I see some of my game there in his game, particularly when I was his age when you're kind of carelessly going for the shots, just showing what you're capable of. I mean, he's got the goods definitely. He showed that last night on a big stage to go very far. Future is bright for him, no doubt, if he keeps going this way.”