'Strange': Andy Murray's coaching debut survives scare as Novak Djokovic pushed by WhatsApp mimic wildcard
Andy Murray’s coaching career began with a victory as his charge Novak Djokovic moved into the second round of the Australian Open - but not without a slight scare as the Serb admitted it was a “strange experience” having the Scot in his box.
Djokovic, who is chasing his 11th title at Melbourne Park, dropped the first set against American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy before regrouping and winning 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2.
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Hide AdWorld No 7 Djokovic decided to hire his 37-year-old Murray as his coach for the Australian Open, just months after the Scot announced his retirement from the sport. The move has captured the imagination given that the two were great rivals on the court and facing each other multiple times in major finals.


“I must say it was a little bit of a strange experience, you know, to have him right courtside in my box,” admitted Djokovic in his post-match interview. “We've played for over 20 years against each other on the highest level and great to have him on the same side of the net and he gave me some great advices, you know, mid-match.
“You know, it's a completely different angle and perspective when you're watching from the side and he's doing really well. And yeah, it's been an enjoyable experience, hopefully we don't stop here.”
Little was known before the match about 19-year-old Basavareddy, who reached the semi-finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland last week and had his break-out year in 2024. However, the nimble teenager put on a show on Rod Laver Arena, breaking in the seventh game of the first set and then keeping his composure to see it out 6-4.
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Hide AdDjokovic, however, regrouped by taking the second set 6-3 and then putting daylight between him and his opponent by grabbing the third 6-4. The fourth set was a far more straightforward affair, the Serb prevailing 6-2 under the watchful eye of Murray.
Djokovic was full of praise for Basavareddy afterwards. “I think he was a better player for a set and a half and he deserves every bit of applause that he got when he was exiting the court,” continued the former World No 1. “To be really honest with you, I've never seen him play up to maybe three, four days ago so, you know, I didn't know much about him.
“These kind of matchups are always tricky, always dangerous and when you're playing somebody that has, you know, nothing to lose, obviously, first match ever for him at the Grand Slam level, just a very complete player, he did very pleasantly surprise me with all of his shots, with fighting spirit towards the end, so I wish him all the very best for the rest of his career.”


Djokovic was told afterwards that Basavareddy’s WhatsApp profile image is a picture of the Serb. Responding bashfully, Djokovic smiled: “I don't know what to say to that, to be honest. You know, I obviously try not to think about those particular things when I'm on the court, but I do appreciate the support and appreciation if that's how I'm supposed to get that.
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Hide Ad“He's a nice boy. I mean, he's a teenager still. I think if he keeps going this way, honestly, as I said, he didn't get carried away by the significance of the moment, you know, it's not easy stepping out on the centre court for the first time and handling the nerves and all. I mean, he's handled himself really, really well, so I'm sure we'll see a lot of him in the future.”
Djokovic’s next match will be against another unheralded opponent in Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria, who was a straight-sets winner over Pavel Kotov of Russia earlier on Monday.
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