Novak Djokovic could have confirmed his opening match of the 2025 season however reportedly it is not going to be the place the place he kicks off his partnership with Andy Murray.
On Wednesday, the Brisbane Worldwide organizers introduced their participant area for the upcoming version and it was revealed that the file 24-time Grand Slam champion signed as much as play on the match slated to happen between December 29 – January 05. And after it was confirmed that the Serb was planning to play a match main as much as the Australian Open, followers started questioning if that may additionally mark the official begin of his collaboration with the British tennis legend.
In the meantime, the 37-year-old Serb is ready to play in Brisbane for the second time in his profession and for the primary time in 16 years. Beforehand, he debuted on the match in 2009 and misplaced to Ernests Gulbis within the first spherical.
“I’m excited to be kicking off my Australian swing at the Brisbane International and to compete again at Pat Rafter Arena. I am looking forward to experiencing the incredible support from the Australian fans and making this tournament one to remember,” Djokovic mentioned in a press release.
Novak Djokovic Brisbane poster© Brisbane Worldwide/Instagram – Truthful Use
Why it might be good for Djokovic and Murray to kick off their partnership in Brisbane?
After they introduced that they struck a deal to work collectively, the tennis world was despatched right into a frenzy, with many being extraordinarily enthusiastic about seeing how that one works. Of their preliminary statements, they did not reveal many particulars besides state they had been wanting ahead to becoming a member of forces.
“I’m going to be becoming a member of Novak’s group within the off season, serving to him to organize for the Australian Open. I’m actually excited for it and searching ahead to spending time on the identical aspect of the online as Novak for a change, serving to him to attain his objectives,” Murray said in a statement.
As mentioned above, the majority were excited about their collaboration but there was a certain group of people who offered a malicious take, claiming that Djokovic was probably done when he hired the Briton as his coach. Their argument was that the newly retired 37-year-old didn’t have any previous coaching experience and that the Serb made that move to get some attention.
However, those claims were quickly shut down by the world No. 7, who underlined that there were several reasons why he went for Murray as coach.
“I needed to take my time to seek out out whether or not I wanted a brand new coach or not. The choice was sure, but it surely needed to be a tennis legend. Since I used to be very younger, I’ve performed towards him… and there aren’t many individuals who’ve gained a number of Grand Slam titles. Andy has identified me since I used to be very younger, from the age of 12 or 13. He is aware of my sport and every part that I’ve been by means of very nicely. He is aware of the issues which might be improper with my sport, all of my errors,” Djokovic said.
Since their partnership will be one of the main storylines of the 2025 Australian Open, it would probably be good to use Brisbane as a test tournament as it may help them get a clearer picture about what may work or may not work. And one thing is for sure, the same critics and doubters who had negative comments about them teaming up would be the first to bash their collaboration if the Serb didn’t have a great run at Melbourne Park.
With Murray or not, Brisbane is looking forward to hosting Djokovic
In Brisbane, the former world No. 1 will be joined by returning Nick Kyrgios, Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe. When it comes to the Brisbane women’s edition, there will be world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka along with four other top-10 players – Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and Daria Kasatkina.
When announcing the player field, the tournament organizers specifically mentioned Djokovic’s appearance as one thing that makes them very happy.
“We are thrilled to have Novak headlining the Brisbane International 2025 along with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. This is by far the strongest field the tournament has seen with 15 of the top-20 men and women players confirmed. Add to this multiple highly ranked Australians to inspire the next generation of tennis fans and the event will be huge. We thought that it would be hard to top last year’s line-up but here we are with an even stronger field. I cannot wait for the tournament to get underway and for all the fans to experience the world’s best right here in Brisbane,” Brisbane match director Cam Pearson mentioned.
