Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray chat mid-match thanks to new Australian Open coaches’ box

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray's coaching interaction at the Australian Open sparks debate on in-match coaching proximity.

Novak Djokovic stood with his hands on his hips, listening intently to Andy Murray — his longtime on-court rival and now, stunningly, his coach at the Australian Open — between sets at Rod Laver Arena. Murray pantomimed the swing of a two-handed backhand. Djokovic took it all in, then responded.

The scene was remarkable because of the new — and “a little bit strange,” Djokovic said Monday (January 13, 2025) night — relationship between these two stars of their sport, yes, but also because that face-to-face conversation was able to happen at all in the middle of a Grand Slam match.

It's part of a new setup at the three biggest stadiums at Melbourne Park, where the year's first major tennis tournament is giving up to four people from each player's entourage a chance to sit in coaches' boxes that include access to screens with real-time data and are positioned at court level in corners right near the playing surface, instead of up in the stands.

“A few times, I did approach Andy, asked him something about whatever it was, whatever shot,” 24-time major champion Djokovic said after his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round. “He was giving me his feedback, his guidance and opinion.”

It’s the sort of normal and obvious interaction between coach and athlete that is seen in nearly every team sport, nearly every day, and sometimes even overheard on TV broadcasts. But tennis is different, both because it's almost always an individual endeavor and because in-match coaching traditionally was completely forbidden on the elite tours.

That's gradually changed in recent years, with various attempts to introduce coaching, which often was done furtively despite rules against it (memorably, Serena Williams was penalised when coach Patrick Mouratoglou was caught signaling during the 2018 U.S. Open final against Naomi Osaka).

The International Tennis Federation announced last year that coaching is fine everywhere now, which not everyone thinks is a good idea.