- The 24-time Grand Slam winner surprisingly hired an old rival for the Australian Open
- Djokovic was seen in the McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes paddocks in Qatar
- And Murray took a dim view of the Serbian’s antics and berated him in a social media post.
Andy Murray has given a brutal assessment of his new student Novak Djokovic after the Serbian tennis star was seen enjoying some time off attending the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Scot shocked the tennis world last week when he announced he will coach the 24-time Grand Slam winner in one of the most sensational appointments in the history of the sport.
Murray, who retired from the game in August after a brilliant 19-year career, will be part of his old rival’s coaching staff for January’s Australian Open.
Djokovic beat Murray in four Australian Open finals, a competition he has won 10 times.
The Serbian posted the surprising news on social media with the caption: “He never liked retirement anyway.”
But Djokovic has now been reprimanded by his coach after pictures were published on Instagram of him living it up in Qatar while taking part in some Formula One action.
Andy Murray does not see favorably Novak Djokovic’s recent trip to the Qatar Grand Prix
The Serbian visited teams such as McLaren while enjoying some time off from tennis.
Djokovic looked relaxed as he strolled around the Grand Prix circuit.
Murray responded to the post: “He should be on the practice court.”
His new student responded to the public call by saying, “Sorry, coach, I’ll be back soon.”
Djokovic rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in motorsport while in Qatar and the post, courtesy of the official Mercedes account, showed the tennis legend posing with Silver Arrows driver George Russell as he took a look at the team paddock.
The post was accompanied by the caption: “Ace welcomes you to the team today.”
He also visited the paddocks of major constructors McLaren and Ferrari and was seen exchanging notes with Alpine star Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
While in Qatar, Djokovic told Sky Sports: “It took me about six months to really think about whether I really need a coach and, if so, who it will be and the profile of the coach.”
“We were going through different names and I realized that the perfect coach for me right now would be someone who has gone through the experiences I’m going through, potential multiple Grand Slam winner, former number one.
‘I was thinking about different people and then a discussion appeared on the table with me and my team. Still, it was a shocking decision. It also caught him a little off guard because he wasn’t expecting it.
The 24-time champion was seen cutting his beard while on holiday in Qatar.
Murray beat his new student in the 2013 Wimbledon final (pictured) – his first victory in the tournament.
Djokovic announced his surprising new coach, whom he beat in the 2016 French Open final (pictured) last week.
He was able to see the already crowned world champion Max Verstappen dazzle with yet another victory.
‘We connected very quickly and he accepted after a few days. I couldn’t be more excited about it. This collaboration is also a surprise for me and for everyone, but it is exciting for tennis.
“He has been one of my biggest rivals. We are the same age. We have played in all the biggest stadiums in our sport. “So I can’t wait to get out on the field and get ready for next season.”
Djokovic was lucky to see Max Verstappen, fired up after being denied pole by stewards on Saturday night, roar to victory in Qatar, while Lewis Hamilton finished down and out on another demoralizing day for the Briton.
Verstappen was furious after stewards moved him back one place for impeding Russell in qualifying, although it was not on his fastest laps but two corners earlier.
The world champion’s slowness caused Russell to run over the gravel, perhaps damaging his car and costing him time. The Briton qualified second fastest before being hit and Verstappen fell at 1am local time, three hours after the incident.
From the start, Verstappen’s Red Bull went out with determination, although McLaren’s Lando Norris took the lead at the first corner as Verstappen battled with Russell. But Verstappen, as usual, immediately regained the lead and never seemed to lose it a week after claiming his fourth world title. The Dutchman led every lap.
Charles Leclerc finished a good second for Ferrari, six seconds behind Verstappen and one place ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.