Novak Djokovic playfully called out Tim Henman during a live interview at the Australian Open, following some cheeky comments Henman made earlier. The world No. 7 recently added Andy Murray to his coaching team, and the two have been spotted working together throughout the tournament.
When news of Djokovic and Murray’s collaboration broke, Henman had mentioned that he was excited to see them “shouting and screaming” at each other during matches. Djokovic, clearly not having forgotten, took the opportunity to tease Henman during an interview on Eurosport after his second-round win in Melbourne.
Before the interview ended, Djokovic interrupted with a smile, saying, “I saw what Tim posted a few weeks ago. He was really looking forward to me screaming at Andy during the matches. It might happen, but I hope it doesn’t because then he’s going to scream at me, and who knows what’ll happen then.”
Both Djokovic and Murray are known for their intense on-court behavior, often expressing their emotions toward their coaching boxes. However, during Djokovic’s first two matches in Melbourne, there has been no drama between the two former rivals-turned-coach and player.
Djokovic acknowledged the long history between them, saying, “We spent 25 years competing against each other, hiding a lot of information, a lot of vulnerabilities, weaknesses. But now all of the cards are on the table.”
Despite Henman’s hopes for some fiery moments, Djokovic and Murray have kept things calm. Murray has been actively involved in Djokovic’s preparation, even watching a full three-hour replay of Djokovic’s opening match against Nishesh Basavareddy the following morning to analyze any missed details.
Though Djokovic has faced tough challenges, dropping sets to Basavareddy and qualifier Jaime Faria, he hasn’t directed any frustrations at Murray—much to Henman’s disappointment, who had said, “I’m definitely intrigued. That’s why I want to see Djokovic struggle a little bit in those early matches so that there’s a bit of tension, a bit of adversity, hopefully a bit of shouting and screaming at the box.”
So far, the only thing Djokovic has screamed is a light-hearted jab at Henman.
