"He might have the highest tennis IQ that I’ve seen": Andy Roddick on why Murray can elevate Djokovic’s game

Andy Roddick praised the addition of Andy Murray as Novak Djokovic's coach and highlighted the potential impact the Brit could have on the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s game. The announcement of this new partnership came last weekend via social media, where Djokovic revealed that Murray would join his team for the Australian Open in January 2025.

Murray had announced earlier this season that 2024 would be his final year as a professional player, concluding his career at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after competing in doubles alongside Dan Evans. The three-time Grand Slam champion enjoyed a few months off before the world was taken by surprise with the news of his new coaching role, just months after his retirement from top-level competition.

While the idea of Murray transitioning to coaching so quickly was surprising, his decision to team up with one of his fiercest rivals added an unexpected twist. As questions arise about how much Murray can contribute to Djokovic’s game, Andy Roddick praised the partnership on his podcast, stating that it could help the World No. 6 remain competitive against younger opponents.

“Everyone’s like, ‘This is a big joke’… What would a joke be about this? What part of this is a joke? You have the best of all time,” Roddick claimed. “How many people can he legitimately actually listen to and view their opinion as an equal? I can fit them on these five fingers probably,” he added. “Murray’s not going to go in and be like, ‘Hey, we’re going to change the way you train,’ that’s not what this is. This is literally another set of eyeballs on five matchups, that’s it.”

The American went on to say that Murray could provide Djokovic with tools to address challenges posed by players like Jannik Sinner. On Djokovic, Roddick remarked: “He walks in, can blow you off the court, can play defense, can do all of these things right. Is he still the best ball striker on Earth? I don’t know. Sinner has probably taken that. Sinner is younger, can probably create more speed at this point, but that doesn’t mean he’s overall a better player.”

“What did Murray spend the last five years of his career doing? Problem solving for what he’s lost, and to various degrees of success. But that struggle Murray went through is valuable to Novak at this age.”

“Me saying Novak at 38 isn’t as good as Novak at 32 shouldn’t be controversial, right? He ticks a certain way, but what Murray’s gone through… I think Murray might have the highest tennis IQ that I’ve seen and been around,” the 2003 US Open champion added.

“He competed with these kind of superheroes without having the biggest shot on the court or being the fastest among them. He still moves great, plays well from extended positions. He’s a master of nuance, a master of scouting reports. He knows everything backwards. He’s one of the most detail-oriented guys ever. You’re not going to get Novak’s ear by just giving him lazy vagaries; you need actual thought behind it.”