Andy Murray jokes about Novak Djokovic's return to form under a ‘proper coach'
Andy Murray broke the ice when he met up with Novak Djokovic at the French Open by saying: 'Now that you have a proper coach, you're winning tournaments!'
The Scot was reunited with Djokovic for the first time since the pair announced Murray would no longer be coaching the 24-time grand slam champion when they appeared alongside Roger Federer at Rafael Nadal's tribute ceremony.
Djokovic has since turned to his former coach, Dusan Vemic, and won his 100th ATP title – and his first since the Olympics last year – in Geneva on Sunday.
The 38-year-old Serbian, who stressed the decision was mutual, said: 'We kind of joked around.
'I had also time to speak to him and Roger about, you know, reflecting on some of the nice memories we had in our rivalries and playing Nadal here etc.
'So that was quite special, being in the room with these two guys first for quite some time.
'In terms of the joke about the tournament, yeah, he did congratulate me, and he said, 'now that you have a proper coach, you're winning tournaments!'.
'I don't know. I didn't take that as a joke. I mean, yeah, of course he was joking, but, you know, I think I have said enough, but I will say it again: Andy is just an amazing person.
'For him to join my team and for us to give a shot to this player/coach relationship was really an incredible thing for tennis and for both of us.
'I was very privileged and honoured. I was enjoying myself very much regardless of the fact that we haven't had maybe the success we both wanted or people expected us to have.
'But I still think that I have learned things on the court with him, I have enjoyed my conversations with him about tennis, because I still think that he's one of the most brilliant tennis IQ guys out there.
'Personally, I actually enjoyed my time very much with him, and I feel like we have a closer relationship because of our working relationship in the last four, five months.'
Djokovic, seeded fifth at Roland Garros, begins his quest for a 25th grand slam title against American Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Premiership will rebrand to... ‘Gallagher Prem'
English rugby union's top tier will be rebranded as 'Gallagher Prem' as part of a concerted push to champion the intensity, aggression and athleticism of the sport. The change, which comes a month after the second tier became 'Champ Rugby' in a similar facelift, will be unveiled during Saturday's final between Bath and Leicester Tigers. A teaser will be shown on the big screens at the Allianz Stadium and covered by the TNT Sports broadcast. After this soft launch, a full rebrand will come into action on July 23, when the fixtures for 2025-26 are unveiled. 'What is important to us is evolution,' explained Rob Calder, the Premiership's chief growth officer. 'We are a competition with great history, but we also believe we have a bright future ahead of us. We didn't want to change it [too much] because this competition is flourishing. We wanted to do right by that, but we also wanted to move forward. 'You've seen it with the Championship reducing to the Champ, there's a de-formalisation of sport and being right by the fan is really important. Speaking in the vernacular is important to us. 'We are going to talk how fans talk. It's not formal, it's not corporate, it's not traditional. We know if we are going to grow from Gallagher Prem fans, we've got to attract international fans and then reach out into broader sport audiences.' 'We want people to have a s--- Saturday if their team lose' Calder admitted that different names had been considered but 'there was so much strength in where we've come from' and the priority now is to 'reframe' rugby union to 'cut through to wider audiences'. Next season is due to begin with a Thursday night fixture on September 25 to avoid a clash with the Women's World Cup final two days later. Though this may end up as a one-off, more midweek matches could follow if it is viewed as a success. 'Real grit', 'raw speed' and 'big hits' are three taglines that will underpin the competition's advertising. Bosses want existing and prospective viewers to be 'unashamedly talking about physicality' as well as amplifying existing rivalries among the 10 clubs. 'We want people to have a s--- Saturday if their team lose,' said Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director of Warner Bros Discovery Sports, which owns TNT. 'We want them walking out of a match going: 'This has ruined my day.' That's what we want people to feel like and it's what we've got to build our sport towards.' Calder stressed that safety and welfare protocols and playing within the laws would remain integral to the Premiership's values, though the sport should 'not be shy' about its storytelling. 'Our focus is going to be on the intensity, the physicality and the extreme athleticism of rugby as well as the rawness and the grit of our league,' Calder said. 'It's a really simple proposition. It's about selling what makes this thing unique and what resonates with the broadest audiences. 'This is about big hits. It's intense, it's full contact, and it is unflinching. The players have said celebrate us as players and what we do; the aggression and the gladiatorial nature [of the sport]. Give the brand the intensity it needs to match.' 'Start thinking beyond these shores' There is confidence that showpiece fixtures can be moved to the United States in the build-up to the 2031 World Cup. Simon Massie-Taylor, the chief executive of Premiership Rugby, heralded the launch of the Club World Cup in 2028 as 'a step forward in the club game going global', and is mindful of how English domestic matches in the US have fallen flat in the past. 'The obvious point is the US,' he added. 'We've had games in the US before and they've been a flash in the pan; the wrong time in the season, the wrong area, the wrong teams [involved]. But there is an opportunity in the build-up to the 2031 World Cup. 'We also have a US partner [Gallagher], which is coming up to its 100th anniversary [in 2027]. It needs to lead to something. It's about maxing out what we have domestically first, which is why sell-outs are so important and why that needs to continue. Then you start thinking beyond these shores.' This all comes amid optimism for the competition's growth. Tickets for the final at Twickenham were purchased in record time, making it the 32nd sellout of the season; up from 18 in 2023-24. Away ends, introduced on a trial basis this year, are to be explored further. Stadium occupancy is a priority and powerbrokers aim to offer discounts for travelling away fans eventually. According to a YouGov survey, interest in the league has grown by 10 per cent and by 30 per cent among 18-34-year-olds. Massie-Taylor also said that clubs were 'chipping away' at government debt, from Covid loans, and third-party debt, with the on-field action in the top tier regarded as a major plus. Fast-paced, attacking rugby is viewed as an attractive characteristic, as is the league's unpredictability. Bath are aiming to be the sixth Premiership winner in as many seasons, following Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, Saracens and Northampton Saints. It is understood that Red Bull's takeover of Newcastle Falcons is close to completion in what is hoped to be a precursor of further outside investment and the Premiership's financial monitoring panel, set up in the wake of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish going bust in 2022, has been a stabilising force. TNT Sports is tied into a new broadcast deal that will run until 2031 and is thought to be worth just shy of £200 million in total, rising to about £40 million in the last year of the agreement. Leading players including George Furbank, the Northampton Saints full-back, and Beno Obano, the Bath loosehead prop, have been canvassed for opinions on the marketing of the Premiership and are eager for personalities and athleticism to be celebrated. 'Build us into something that attracts the next generation,' was how Calder summarised the pervading message. Another encouraging aspect has been the strengthening and alignment of England's age-group pathways, with the Under-20s reigning world champions. The rise of Henry Pollock, an indelible storyline of the past year, is viewed as an indication of how youngsters can sell the sport and September will see the launch of YouTube content fronted by the players in a bid to bring viewers behind the scenes.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
England must start taking international football more serious, warns Theo Walcott... as ex-Three Lions star outlines key trait U21s must show to break into Thomas Tuchel's side
Theo Walcott has a few things he wants to get off his chest, the first being his belief that England don't take international football as serious as their biggest rivals. In an illuminating chat, Walcott casts his mind back to the 2009 Under-21 European Championships final when he started in a losing effort against a star-studded Germany side. 'You could tell they fed off our energy,' Walcott said. 'When they got one and then two, you could see they didn't want to take their foot off it. 'They treated it so professionally which just showed if you do all the right things, good things will happen, and of course they won the World Cup [in 2014]. 'If you go into it and win this [Under-21] tournament, who knows where it will take these guys? You want winners in a team no matter what level, and if this squad wins this, other players will feed off that and grow to become better players, people and leaders. It's so important.' But there is a wider point that Walcott extrapolates out beyond this current iteration of Lee Carsley 's Under-21s, who started their Euros title defence on Thursday night with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic. 'The Germans are so serious and sometimes we're not as serious,' he added. 'That's a shift we need to make and you could sense that against Senegal the other day [in the seniors]. 'We didn't seem serious because it's a friendly and everyone wants to go on holiday. We need to start being more serious, particularly at international level.' The second point of order for Walcott is the intangibles that will see players graduate from Carsley's group into Thomas Tuchel's in time for the 2026 World Cup. Setting standards on the pitch alone won't be enough, Walcott insists. 'I think it's really valuable and important to be in good habits and to actually grab that opportunity and think: actually, this is really important,' Walcott, who is working as a pundit for Channel 4 during the Under-21 Euros this month, said. 'I think if you go into it half-heartedly, anything you do, maybe you're not going to fail, but you're not going to really enjoy it, right? 'I understand talking on the field is a cliche, but I actually get the sense that if you want to be in the first team now, in Thomas Tuchel's team, going to the World Cup, you need a little bit more, like really going into it. It's very different, I feel. 'It's the full package now that they're looking at.' There are introverted characters across the seniors and the Under-21s these days and while there is not one shoe that fits all - as a young player Walcott would shut himself away so he speaks from his own experience - being a key cog off the pitch, as well as on it, is taking on added significance. 'You could be the best trainer but also if you're not really involved in the day-to-day things, [like] if you just shut yourself away in the room…' he said. 'And I would shut myself in the room at times. It was very different for me. I couldn't really relate to the players I was with [in the seniors] because of the age gap. So that's the side of it which I had to manage in my own way. 'At times I'd lock myself away and get on with things. And maybe it was the right or wrong thing, I don't know, but for me at that time of my development, I was only 16, 17, so I was still learning about myself then at that age of being thrust into an environment which I'm not quite used to. 'These guys, I feel, they're going to have to tick a lot of boxes by doing the right things every minute when they're on show. 'That's really important because you can look at the likes of Jordan Henderson in the first team environment, people think, yeah, he's gone [to Saudi Arabia], da-da-da. 'But, his behaviour, everything about his attitude on a day-to-day basis speaks volumes. It's the reason why he's still playing for England. Even Kyle Walker — it's the same principles. 'Having these guys is really important and treating every second when you're on show is to be professional. I think that's the habit you need to be in. You can't just talk on the pitch. 'Everyone knows what the guys are going to do on the pitch and they want to go out and win, of course, but they're going to see the other bits of how they interact with each other, how they make connections and how they bond. 'If there's any sense that there's a group or environment that isn't great, they won't be at the tournament because they don't want any disruption. So I think it's important, you need to be careful, make sure you do the things away from the field properly. I'm sure they will.' Carsley kickstarted this Euros title defence with a 4-2-2-2 striker-less system that operated off instinct and fluidity with a wealth of No 10s interchanging. The absence of Liam Delap, who Walcott sees as the perfect profile to break Chelsea's supposed striker 'curse', was not keenly felt in the win over Czech Republic but the lack of strikers to call on is emblematic of a wider problem in English football for Walcott. 'I don't like it,' Walcott added. 'I always feel that it shows where we are as a country because we can't find a No 9 to play in a system. 'For instance, I'll give you an example from the other day when Morgan Rogers came on [for the seniors], he was non-existent. 'He likes to drive with the ball, so why have players in positions where they are not used to? Yeah you might get the best out of other players because of this player and this role and it can drag players away… the perfect example who has really adapted themselves in that position as a false nine is [Ousmane] Dembele. Obviously he's a lot more experienced, I get it, but we haven't got a Dembele. 'I think the No 9 side of things is a problem going into a tournament. You could get away with it in this one particularly but in the long run I'm not a big believer in not having nines.' The lack of No 9s and an influx of No 10s is making players, not just with England but in the game today, too 'predictable', another bug bear of Walcott's 'Everyone wants to be that really predictable player,' he said. 'When I say predictable I mean likes to come inside. Strikers are selfish, they just want to score goals. But now all of a sudden the wingers are starting to get more selfish because they want to cut in and do their thing. They're not connecting like they did in the first place. 'Then everyone wants to be No 10s because it's the glamour position where you still need to work but can have that maverick feel about yourself. 'The social media side of things, obviously people with what they see on YouTube of these guys in these positions, they're going to feed off that. 'When I was coming through I didn't bother looking at videos or anything like that. I just wanted to go out and play. And I just feel that's the side of it now. We've seen these guys in short clips, in good areas of the field, doing things and all the kids want to play there. Of course they do. You don't see the big No 9s, the Delaps. 'That's why it worries me as an Arsenal fan, Delap going to Chelsea. I know they have been going for that No 9, that Drogba type, it's that curse of the No 9. 'I feel like he can break that curse because he's a really good striker. He's the next one after Harry Kane for me. That's how much I like him as an English person but it disappoints me as an Arsenal fan if you don't go after someone like that. 'You can see it in him as well, you can see his fight. He doesn't care who he plays against. That's a side of it we're missing as well from No 9s. 'I'm not sure why we can't develop anymore and it's a sad, sad way we're going. I'm a big believer in getting it out wide, dribbling one versus one, crossing it and seeing some headed goals. 'When do we see that now? We barely see it. You just know they'll go inside. It's starting to become too predictable.' No Delap and no striker is how Carsley and Co will look to defend their Euros title. For Walcott, he just wants to see an England team put their foot on the gas and be serious against the biggest nations. It's over to the Under-21s to show this next generation are cut from a different cloth to those who came before.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Prem Rugby: New logo, away ends and US matches in Premiership rebrand
Premiership Rugby will rebrand its league as Prem Rugby next month as part of a slate of innovations aimed at driving more interest in the English game. The renaming is one of several plans to revamp the league, including: • A trial of playing matches on Thursday nights; • A push for more 'big games' at top-class stadiums, some of which could take place in the United States; • More use of 'away ends', building on the two-match trial this season; • Employing Deloitte and The Raine Group to draw up plans to restructure the top flight. The name of the overriding organisation will remain Premiership Rugby, but from July 23 the league will be known as the Gallagher Prem. This aligns with the second-tier Championship, which has also shortened its name to Champ Rugby before next season. The Premiership has been known as such since 1997, having been called the Courage League after the English rugby pyramid was established in 1987. The leaders at Premiership Rugby first revealed they wanted to change the name of the league in May last year on The Ruck podcast from The Times. After an extensive rebranding exercise that has taken two years and included consultation with players, including the Bath prop Beno Obano and the Northampton Saints full back George Furbank, Premiership Rugby has settled on its shortened name as it wants to 'talk how fans talk' and 'unashamedly celebrate intensity, physicality, grit and extreme athleticism' in the game. Its new logo will be coloured orange to signify 'intensity'. Revealing the new name, Premiership Rugby's chief growth officer, Rob Calder, said: 'This is not formal, corporate or traditional. It's got grit, just like our competition. It's a physical contest that showcases power, pace and incredible skill under pressure, so we are unashamedly going to talk about physicality, intensity, extreme athleticism and the grit of top-flight rugby. 'This is about big hits, it's intense, it's full contact and its unflinching. We know this works as we've spoken to the players, and the things they've said in the process are: 'Promote the players. Show the game, the aggression, the gladiatorial nature of the game, and give the brand the intensity to match.' ' To help players build their personal brands, the league is creating a centralised social media app for them to share footage and pictures. While the rebrand will be announced at Saturday's sold-out Premiership final at Twickenham between Bath and Leicester Tigers, both in the stadium and live on TNT Sports, the official switch will occur on July 23. Next season's opening game will take place on Thursday, September 25, as a one-off trial. The Prem wants to avoid a clash with the Women's World Cup final, which is on Saturday, September 27 and is likely to feature England's Red Roses at Twickenham, so its opening round will have one match on the Thursday and the other four across Friday, September 26 and Sunday, September 28. This season two 'away ends' were trialled, when Harlequins went to Leicester and Gloucester went to Saracens, and the league wants to facilitate more of those next year. Fans would not be segregated, but away supporters would have the option to sit together. Premiership Rugby is also encouraging clubs to put on more 'big games' at larger stadiums. Harlequins play two of these, one at Christmas and the other in spring, both at Twickenham, while Saracens have their 'showdown' in March and Bristol Bears started their 'big day out' in Cardiff this May against Bath. The Times understands that Sale Sharks have previously investigated using Bolton Wanderers' 29,000-seat Toughsheet Community Stadium for a league game. It will not happen next season, but the league wants to take matches to the US in the build-up to the 2031 men's World Cup over there. Officials are confident that they can do so, having built the number of sell-outs over the past three seasons from 13 to 18 to 30 this term. The Premiership previously played two ill-fated matches stateside in 2016 and 2017. In 2016 London Irish faced Saracens in New York, and then Saracens played Newcastle Falcons in Philadelphia the following year, but neither game was sold out. 'We've had US games before and they've been flash in the pans, in the wrong area, wrong stadiums with the wrong teams,' Premiership Rugby's chief executive, Simon Massie-Taylor, said. 'It needs to lead to something. It's about maxing out what we've got domestically first, which is why sell-outs are so important. That needs to continue for these big games to exist, and then you start moving beyond your shores.' In terms of the league's structure, the Prem will remain a ten-team league next season, but executives are looking to add 'expansion' teams. To investigate what the league could look like in future, Premiership Rugby has employed both the New York-based bank Raine and the consultancy firm Deloitte. Their remit is to look only at the structure of the league within England, though, rather than trying to start an Anglo-Welsh or British and Irish domestic league. Ultimately they will take recommendations to the Premiership Rugby board by the summer, which should lead to the franchising of the top flight and an official end to promotion and relegation, as The Times has reported. Raine and Deloitte helped the ECB with the sale of the Hundred franchises, which is set to earn £520million for English cricket. There is confidence at Premiership Rugby that the bottom side in 2024-25, Newcastle Falcons, will be taken over by Red Bull this summer, so they will be able to compete in next season's league. If they are, the Falcons are likely to incorporate the Red Bull brand in their name — for example, renaming themselves Red Bull Newcastle. TNT Sports, the league's broadcaster, which has a commitment to show the Prem until 2031, also wants to add more data and technology to its coverage, including showing player heartrates and the pressure exerted at scrums. It believes it has the technical ability to show fans that information already, but needs the buy-in of the clubs and players to do so. Ultimately the Premiership believes that it is emerging from several lean years, in which Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish went bust, and the league has cut its cloth with fresh confidence. Its chairman, Martyn Phillips, said: 'Three or four years ago we were in a hole, but we battened down the hatches to get the Premiership back on course. This feels like a significant day for us. We're in a good spot, but have by no means cracked it.' Jokingly, he added: 'We're out of intensive care, maybe even out of hospital, and we're not keen to go back there.'
