ANDY Murray says he will speak to Novak Djokovic in the coming days to discuss whether he will continue as his coach.
Djokovic’s Australian Open hopes ended in disappointment as he withdrew after losing the first set against Alexander Zverev due to the hamstring injury he suffered in the previous round against Carlos Alcaraz.
Murray said: “Me and Novak agreed that after the tournament we would speak. We’ll do that.”
Murray said he had enjoyed every moment of his time with Djokovic, having been asked in November if he would join his team.
He said: “At times it feels a little bit embarrassing that because of my relationship with Novak, how much people talk about that or when there’s a good result or a good performance that it’s because I’ve helped him.
“I’m fully aware that the team that is with him has done an incredible job over many, many years to allow him to still be competing at this level, at the age that he’s at.
“They’ve all been really, really helpful to me. They really welcomed me into the team. It’s been great to be a part of.
“I got to witness some amazing tennis, and one of the best matches that I’ve seen live against Alcaraz.”
Murray said he had learned a lot from his short time with Djokovic, but admitted he is only just beginning to understand what’s required of a top-level coach.
The Scot revealed: “It’s a steep learning curve for me as well. Obviously there’s a lot of things that as a player, you know things are different when you’re coaching.
“There’s a lot more that you need to help with in terms of communication around the team.
“You’re not just thinking about yourself like you are when you’re a player.
“I’ve certainly learned a lot but there’s a lot more still for me to learn, that’s for sure.”
And Murray said he had found it hard to watch Djokovic, knowing that he was suffering in pain.
He said: “When you get to that stage of the tournament, you feel like you’re getting very close to something very special, and it’s unfortunate if the body’s not responding in the way that you would like.
“With Novak there’s always hope with him because of how great a player he is and has found ways out of difficult situations before. It just wasn’t to be this time.”
Djokovic said he and Murray would discuss things in greater depth when the disappointment of withdrawing has subsided.
Murray added: “We both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn’t talk about the future steps. We are so fresh off the court.
“I’ll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me. You know, give him my feedback, which is, of course, positive, and see how he feels and we make the next step.
“We are still hot-headed and disappointed, so it’s kind of hard to switch the page and start talking about what the next steps are.
“You know, I think we both need to cool off a little bit and then we’ll have a chat.”
Djokovic’s next scheduled event is in Doha, from 17-22 Feb, but the Serbian says he does not know how long he will be out.
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