As a player, Murray would vent his mid-match frustrations at his coaches with such vitriol that one – former world No 1 Amelie Mauresmo – took to watching his matches from secret locations in the stadium, just to get out of the firing line.
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Read More“Of course, I’ve thought about it,” Murray told reporters in Melbourne.
“I know it’s not easy out there, and it’s stressful, and at times he’s going to want to vent towards his team and his box. Providing that he’s giving his best effort and trying as hard as he can, I’m absolutely fine with him expressing himself how he wants.”
But now he is on court merely in a coaching capacity, he is wearing a pair of Asics trainers, which bear Djokovic’s logo on the heel and name on the tongue. He does not, like the rest of Djokovic’s team, dress head to toe in Lacoste, but it is a telltale sign of Murray’s commitment to the cause.
“I think you have to be very careful with emotional players, to stop them from doing that, or stop them feeling like they’re able to if they need to,” he added.
Murray keeps a close eye on Djokovic in training (Photo: Getty)
That emotional side of tennis has oft been neglected, especially in the men’s game, where machismo trumps meditation (something Djokovic does daily but has yet to drag his new coach into).
“In many ways, we are quite similar characters, so I would hope I would empathise with him on the court when he’s finding it stressful or whatever, understanding those emotions, I can help with that,” Murray said.
Murray and Djokovic, born just a week apart, go way back.
They might not have talked about their childhood then, either, but their formative years, while on the face of it wildly different, contained a shared trauma.
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Read MoreThe Serbian spent weeks dodging Nato bombing raids and practicing on shrapnel-covered courts.
Both men rarely discuss the harrowing events of their early childhood, but there is little doubt it has shaped the men they are today.
“At times it’s very enjoyable. But high performance is not supposed to be like laughs and jokes and messing around. It isn’t about that,” Murray said.
“The best players take it seriously and they want to improve, and it’s not always easy.”
The pair pose for a photo after the 2013 Wimbledon final (Photo: Getty)It is unsurprising that Murray takes training quite so seriously when you consider his most successful coach was the stony-faced Ivan Lendl.
But Murray seemed to thrive more off his presence than anything else.
In that sense, Murray has departed from his former head coach’s style, although he understands the power of silence too.
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Mark Hilton, one of his long-time coaches, would fire off a volley of WhatsApp messages to the Roehampton base, and be sent back a brief presentation on whatever he needed – but not all of it would be fed back to Murray.
“Depending on the player, you don’t really want to be going in there with information which could be challenged in big moments.
“It will come through me, and I have to be very careful on what to go with. So often, there will be a lot of back and forth to give us some clear examples of this and some good visuals of that.
“He’ll have an influence on training, but he’s another pair of eyes pre-match.”
Much of Hilton’s tactical information is still fresh in his encyclopaedic tennis memory.
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Read More“I know what the speed of their serve is like, what the topspin on their shots are like, and hopefully have a decent understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
“Hopefully, as a coach, I’m able to see the game through Novak’s eyes and help him with the right strategy on the court.”
“Andy’s always been a great sort of tactician, and this is very much more coaching rather than teaching,” former British No 1 Tim Henman tells The i Paper.
“But actually when you get back to the day-to-day grind of the practice courts and the gym, having fresh input and someone like Andy in your corner, I think could be very motivating.”
Not that he is shying away from it, but more that it has given him a greater appreciation for what extra work was going on within his own team without him necessarily knowing about it.
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Read More“I heard from everyone that it’s pretty stressful to be in the box,” said world No 5 Daniil Medvedev, widely regarded as the tour’s best tactical brain now Murray has retired.
“You really want your teammate to win. When he misses, you’re like, ‘C’mon, do better.’ It’s not the same when you’re on the court.”
He admitted that when he was presenting the Djokovic job to his wife, a selling point was the fact he is unlikely to still be playing in five or six years.
Medvedev added: “It’s a great partnership in terms of everything, even like energy, like media-wise, tennis-wise, growing tennis. It’s great. Imagine Messi would become the coach of Cristiano Ronaldo.”
When asked what he thought when he heard the news, No 2 seed Alexander Zverev replied: “What did I think? S**t!
“Novak has won 24 grand slams, I feel like it doesn’t matter anymore who he takes as a coach, he’s going to win five more.”
If Djokovic starts with 25 here, you would expect Murray to become a permanent fixture.
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