"It'll feel like you're playing two people instead of one": Thanasi Kokkinakis on Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray partnership

Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis believes that playing against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic with former world number one Andy Murray as his coach will be like playing against two players instead of one. The 37-year-old, who is regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, has recently hired Murray as his coach after having a difficult season.

For the first time in seven years, Djokovic finished the whole season without winning a single Grand Slam. Those performances made Djokovic take the drastic step of changing his coaching staff for the upcoming 2025 season, and he hired the former British tennis star to sit in the dugout with him next season.

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Murray, who is regarded as the greatest British player in history after winning three Grand Slams and multiple Olympic gold medals, retired from professional tennis after the recently concluded 2024 Paris Olympics because of fitness concerns, will be coaching for the first time. Australia’s tennis player Kokkinakis has been recently quoted in a report by Daily Express where he stated that facing Djokovic with the Glasgow-born as his coach will be like facing two players in one.

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“If you play against them, it’ll feel like you’re playing two people instead of one,” he said. “There’s not really many people who can tell Djokovic what to do on court. He’s been there and done it all. It’ll be exciting to see how it plays out. I’m not sure how much of a difference he’s going to bring but if there’s anyone who can tell him stuff, it’s Andy. I think it’ll be just fun for fans and spectators. Seeing Andy in Djokovic’s box after they’ve been rivals for so long. It’s something good for fans, it’s good for media.”