‘This is a problem’ – Andy Murray warned he’s clinging to the past as Brit tennis legend teams up with Novak Djokovic
ANDY MURRAY has been accused of clinging onto the past by a former rival after his decision to coach Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who retired from tennis in the summer, has agreed to coach former rival Novak Djokovic for the 2025 Australian Open.
But as much as most fans are excited at the prospect of seeing two tennis greats work together, world number 34 Alexander Bublik has voiced his concern over the partnership.
The Kazakhstani star, who lost three of his five matches against Murray, described the Scot’s decision as “a problem” in a recent interview.
He said: “Now he has joined Novak Djokovic‘s team. These are attempts to grasp at something that no longer exists, to some echoes of the past. I think this is a problem.
“I hope that it will not be the same for me, but I cannot say for sure.
“Maybe at the age of 36 I will go to the Challenger in Bangkok, but I still hope that I will leave with peace of mind.”
Bublik didn’t stop there with his criticism of Murray either.
The 27-year-old, who has never made it passed the fourth round of a Grand Slam event, took aim at the Brit and fellow tennis icon Rafa Nadal for taking too long to retire.
He said: “Yes, I want to leave at the peak. It is clear that I am not Rafa, my legacy will be much smaller, if it can be called such. What happened to Andy Murray and Rafa was a circus.
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“I can’t call it anything else. People have achieved everything, even we tennis players looked at them with our mouths open in the locker room – and then you see one of them bald and old.
“It is clear that he is no longer the same and will never be the same.
“In my opinion, this is even a shame, not a circus. Probably, it would be more correct to say so. Although Rafa still left normally.”
Murray will be in Djokovic’s corner for the Australian Open this month, with the Serbian set to get his tournament underway this week.
Djokovic has revealed that he “loves” working alongside Murray so far, highlighting his former rival’s ability to help him “gain an inch” on the court.
Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I’m former world No1 but quit aged 29 – instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist