Andy Murray has officially announced that he has left his role as Novak Djokovic's coach just days before the French Open.
Back in November, former world number one Murray announced that he would join former rival Djokovic's coaching team ahead of the start of the 2025 season.
The pair made their debut as a team at the a month later at the Brisbane Open, where he suffered a quarter-final exit to Reilly Opelka, and later reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open with a win over Carlos Alcaraz before Djokovic was forced to retire through injury.
However, just days before their next major outing at the French Open, Djokovic and Murray have confirmed that they will no longer be working together in an official statement.
Advert
Following his loss in men's doubles quarter-finals at the Paris Olympic Games back in August last year, Murray announced that he would be retiring from tennis and was ready for some time off.
When he eventually announced his return to the sport to coach Djokovic, fans were thrilled at the prospect of seeing the former foes work together for however long their partnership will last.
But a statement released by Murray has revealed that, unfortunately, this partnership was short lived.
Announcing the decision, Murray said: "Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months. I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season."
In his own statement confirming the split, Djokovic added: "Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun & support over last six months on & off the court. I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together."
The announcement comes as a shock as Djokovic had previously announced that his partnership with Murray was due to continue for an 'indefinite amount of time' in February.
It will no doubt disappoint fans who had hoped to see Murray in Djokovic's box when Wimbledon gets underway in six weeks time.
However, the split likely has nothing to do with Murray's capability as a coach, as Djokovic was spoke highly about the three-time Grand Slam winner after the Australian Open.
"I'm very pleasantly surprised with his dedication and professionalism, considering he's never had the experience of working as a tennis coach," he said in January.
"It comes natural to him. His IQ generally and tennis IQ is very high. He observes and speaks when is most important.
"I think he understands the moment when he needs to say something and what to say and what to ask.
"I must say at the beginning it was a bit of a strange feeling to be able to share the insights with him, not just about the game, but about how I feel, about life in general.
"Not in a negative way, but just in a way I have never done that with him because he was always one of my greatest rivals."
Topics: Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Tennis
Ben McCrum