Djokovic, Murray practice on court ahead of Australian Open

There is a long list of storylines heading into this year’s Australian Open. Can Carlos Alcaraz become the youngest player to complete the career Slam? Will Jannik Sinner successfully defend his title? Can Alexander Zverev build on his impressive 2024 and finally win a major?

However, the one at the forefront of everyone’s minds is Novak Djokovic’s partnership with new coach and former rival Andy Murray. The Serbian announced in November he would team with the Scot at the Australia Open and on Tuesday fans were rewarded with a glimpse of the pair on the practice court together in Melbourne.

Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and 25th major and he hit for the first time at this year’s event on Margaret Court Arena, where he won a 7-5 set against Alcaraz. Standing close by was Murray, who was providing advice to Djokovic.

Born a week apart in May 1987, both Djokovic and Murray climbed to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and battled on the world’s biggest stages. Djokovic and Murray clashed in 36 Lexus ATP Head2Head showdowns, with the former winning 25 of them. Murray ended his playing career at the Paris Olympics in August.

Djokovic made his first appearance of the season last week in Brisbane, where he fell in the quarter-finals to Reilly Opelka. The 37-year-old will find out who he will face in the first round in Melbourne on Thursday when the draw is made at 2:30 p.m. local time.