Novak Djokovic is aiming for his first title of 2025 and is thoroughly preparing for his debut at the prestigious Indian Wells Masters 1000. With his former rival, Andy Murray, now in the role of coach, the Serbian star hopes to rediscover his peak form and compete at the highest level in the California desert.
“I’m enjoying the relationship with Andy,” Djokovic said during a press conference this week, which was shared by the official ATP Tour website. “It’s obviously a new role for him… I still feel like we are going through the process of getting to know each other on the court in a different way than we have known each other for 25 years.”
Murray began working with Novak in late 2024, with the goal of preparing for the Australian Open. “I think we had a great tournament, a great run in Australia, and I like the way I played,” acknowledged the Serbian tennis player, who reached the semifinals at the year’s first Grand Slam by eliminating Carlos Alcaraz, but ultimately withdrew from his match against Alexander Zverev due to a leg injury.
“It was unfortunate to finish the tournament the way I did,” Djokovic said. Despite the disappointing conclusion, he was optimistic about his performance in Australia. “I think I played maybe the best tennis I’ve played in quite some time, since the Olympics actually. So I definitely attribute that to the work I had with Andy.”
Novak Djokovic and his coach Andy Murray working on his serve during a practice session at Indian Wells on March 06, 2025.
Djokovic and Murray continue their collaboration
Initially, the plan was for Murray’s coaching role to extend only through the Australian Open. However, the positive feelings that arose from their time together during the tournament led Djokovic to want to extend their partnership. “I mean, for me personally, I want to keep going just like the same day we finished the tournament, so I told him that,” he explained.
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“But for him, it took some time to reflect on the partnership, speak with his people, his family, and assess how committed he wants to be and where he can travel with me and work in terms of the schedule,” Novak continued. “So I was very glad when he decided to keep going.”
Djokovic’s plans for the future
With 99 career titles, Novak Djokovic is just one away from becoming only the third player in history to reach the 100-title milestone. After a 2024 season in which his only title came at the Paris Olympics, he knows he must improve this year, and he’s confident that Murray will help him achieve his goals.
“I think the plan is to go all the way until the end of Roland Garros, hopefully Wimbledon as well,” Djokovic said. However, he was cautious when discussing the future: “(I plan to play) Indian Wells, Miami, and most of the clay-court season. So we’ll talk again after Miami, obviously.”
For now, Novak’s primary focus is his debut at Indian Wells. This Saturday, he will face Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the tournament. Should he advance, his next opponent will be the winner of the match between Mackenzie McDonald and Francisco Cerundolo.
