Novak Djokovic may have confirmed his opening tournament of the 2025 season but reportedly it will not be the place where he kicks off his partnership with Andy Murray.
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On Wednesday, the Brisbane International organizers announced their player field for the upcoming edition and it was revealed that the record 24-time Grand Slam champion signed up to play at the tournament slated to take place between December 29 - January 05. And after it was confirmed that the Serb was planning to play a tournament leading up to the Australian Open, fans began wondering if that would also mark the official start of his collaboration with the British tennis legend.
However, according to the PA news agency insiders, there is indication that Murray won't accompany Djokovic in Brisbane.
Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Serb is set to play in Brisbane for the second time in his career and for the first time in 16 years. Previously, he debuted at the tournament in 2009 and lost to Ernests Gulbis in the first round.
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"Im 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 said in a statement.
Why it would be nice for Djokovic and Murray to kick off their partnership in Brisbane?
When they announced that they struck a deal to work together, the tennis world was sent into a frenzy, with many being extremely excited about seeing how that one works. In their initial statements, they didn't reveal many details except state they were looking forward to joining forces.
Im going to be joining Novaks team in the off season, helping him to prepare for the Australian Open. Im 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," Murray said in a statement.
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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 wanted to take my time to find out whether I needed a new coach or not. The decision was yes, but it had to be a tennis legend. Since I was very young, I have played against him and there are not many people who have won multiple Grand Slam titles. Andy has known me since I was very young, from the age of 12 or 13. He knows my game and everything that I have been through very well. He knows the things that are wrong with my game, all of my mistakes," Djokovic said.
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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.
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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 years 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 worlds best right here in Brisbane," Brisbane tournament director Cam Pearson said.
