"He took the job very seriously": Samantha Stosur talks Andy Murray’s influence on Novak Djokovic

Former world No. 4 Samantha Stosur praised Andy Murray's role as Novak Djokovic's coach during the weeks at Melbourne Park. The former Australian tennis player, who was covering the event, shared that she saw the three-time Grand Slam champion walking with Djokovic’s rackets.

Although it may seem like a minor detail, Stosur believes it highlights how seriously Murray took the job. Not everyone gave enough credit to Murray's role as Djokovic’s coach, commented the Aussie former No. 4.

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According to Express UK, Murray and Djokovic reached an agreement to work together until the Australian Open ended, with the possibility of extending the partnership if it worked well for both. Unfortunately, Djokovic had to exit the tournament due to an injury during his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev.

“A lot of people were skeptical when Novak made this announcement,” said Sam Stosur. “However, when I saw Murray walking down the corridors of the tournament with Djokovic's rackets in his hand to take them to the stringer, I knew he was taking this job very seriously.”

Stosur continued, “I think everyone was surprised. I think even Andy was surprised that, A) he got the call, and then, B) actually said yes. Look, I don’t know how long the arrangement is for or what stipulates whether it keeps going or anything like that."

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"But I think the huge positive in having someone like Andy in his corner is that he knows what it's like to win these tournaments,” she added. “He knows what it takes; he knows how to play the best players in the world. He knows about recovery and managing yourself; he knows everything about it."

The former doubles world No. 1 also mentioned that Murray could continue helping Djokovic and, in some cases, provide insights that might make the difference in key moments. “So if, again talking about one percenters, Andy might have one little tidbit that helped him and he can pass it on to Novak now as opposed to some of his previous coaches, then who knows? It might make the difference for him to keep going.”

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Stosur also lamented the fact that Djokovic’s journey came to an end without finishing his match against Zverev. "It was an unfortunate way to finish. The match that he played against Alcaraz was some incredible tennis, amazing to watch from the side from that close, it was an amazing performance. He’d been getting gradually better as the tournament was progressing, I think. It’s obviously a really unfortunate way to finish."

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