Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic at the forthcoming 2025 Australian Open, the pair have confirmed in a shock announcement.

Murray announced his retirement from tennis after the Paris Olympics, his final match a men’s doubles encounter alongside Dan Evans in the quarter-finals against Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

In a statement, the 37-year-old said: “I’m going to be joining Novak’s team in the off season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open. I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals.”

Djokovic added: “I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net as my coach. Looking forward to the start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy, with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on Australian soil.”

The current men’s No 7 heads to Melbourne in search of a 25th grand slam title, which includes 10 Australian Opens.

On four occasions, it was Murray he beat in the final, in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.

Now the two men, who were born a week apart in 1987, will be in the same corner.

It is the biggest indication yet that Murray’s future lies in coaching, with his next steps the subject of speculation after hanging up his racket.

The two-time Wimbledon champion had hinted he wanted to “try some different things”, announcing a theatre tour “Centre Stage” hosted by BBC broadcaster Andrew Cotter.

The Australian Open begins on 12 January, with the men’s final taking place on 26 January.

Djokovic has won four of the last six but fell at the semi-final stage earlier this year to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. He did not play the tournament in 2022 due to a visa row over his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19, which led to his deportation on the eve of the slam.

In April, Djokovic split with long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic and has turned to both Nenad Zimonjic and Boris Bosnjakovic since then – but he had even toyed with coaching himself and abandoning a full-time trainer altogether.

Analysis: Murray has been a mentor to many already

By Michael Hincks

This unlikely union is 25 years in the making.

Both 37, Djokovic and Murray first met at an under-12s youth tournament in France.

“In our first match, Andy destroyed me,” Djokovic recalled in 2011, before adding: “I know he has the ability to win a grand slam, he’s a great talent.”

Murray would eventually win two of his three grand slams by beating Djokovic in the final – the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013 – before also winning a memorable ATP Finals showdown that saw the Briton end 2016 as the world No 1.

At a time when three extraterrestrials were gracing the game, this achievement required graft from the human endlessly working to chase them down, and so it was arguably what broke him, too.

Nevertheless, Murray only drew greater admiration from his rivals in the injury-plagued years that followed, and while Djokovic would end their head-to-head with a favourable 25-11 record by the time Murray finally hung up his racket, the Serbian has clearly learned there are lessons to be learned from one of his greatest rivals.

So as Djokovic carries the baton of the old guard alone in light of Rafael Nadal’s recent retirement, he will not be alone in pursuit of slam No 25 as Murray takes on his first official role as coach.

Ask Murray’s peers and compatriots and they will say he has been a coach for years already. Cut through the dry humour that some just don’t get and here is a former player who willingly took on the role of mentor throughout his career.

The standout is his relationship with Nick Kyrgios, a divisive character but a player Murray realised needed a helping hand, especially through the Australian’s darkest periods when he was self-harming.

“Andy was always a big supporter of me,” Kyrgios said on Piers Morgan Uncensored last year. “As soon as I came on the tour, he kind of saw a work in progress and took me under his wing. Then he realised later in my career that I don’t think I was coachable or I was on my own path, but he was always someone that was looking out for me.

“He saw it [the self-harm] and he said, ‘What’s that on your arm?’ It was pretty bad at that stage. Andy obviously was trying to give me advice on it. But I was just so stuck in my ways at that time that I didn’t listen. Obviously I’m very thankful. I thank him a lot.”

Upon becoming the veteran of British tennis, Murray also quickly developed a rapport with Jack Draper – see, because you must, the car video – and brought the best out of Dan Evans at the Olympics this summer.

As a result, Murray – who also carried Great Britain to Davis Cup glory in 2015 – was talked up as a future mentor or coach by British players earlier this year.

“Whether it is mentoring players, being an individual coach or the Davis Cup captain, everybody would love to see that,” doubles specialist Joe Salisbury said in July. “I think he would enjoy staying in the sport and making an impact.”

British No 1 Katie Boulter added: “He has been such an asset to British tennis, I don’t doubt for a second he is going to find a way to stay here. In some format, he is going to be around. I know he is not going to completely disappear off this planet.”

These predictions have rung true. Djokovic will hope it’s enough to surpass Margaret Court’s grand slam record (they are level on 24), while Murray may view it as the first stepping stone towards a more permanent role with another player in the future.

It’s an exciting prospect, therefore, and could make for some entertaining exchanges with the players’ box in Melbourne.