Andy Murray’s coaching career is off to a winning start but it was not without a scare as Novak Djokovic came from a set down to defeat 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round of the Australian Open.
The Scot took his place in the Australian Open’s new courtside coaching pods but, as plush and padded as those seats are, he was not always sitting comfortably.
With a first round against a Grand Slam debutant ranked outside the world’s top 100, Murray might have expected an easy start and an avoidance of any rollockings.
But a superb opening display from Basavareddy raised the tension of the occasion, and it was at the start of the second set, with the match in the balance when Djokovic gave Murray a dose of his own medicine, with a shout, a shrug, and a splay of the arms.
There was even a ‘chatting’ gesture, asking for the new man to do some more talking. Murray knows better than anyone that it is always the coach’s fault.
‘It was a bit of a strange experience having him courtside in my box,’ said Djokovic. ‘He gave me some great advice mid-match and after playing each other for 20 years it’s great having him on my side of the net.’
The show of frustration came as Djokovic was rocked by a display of startling maturity from his American opponent.
Basavareddy was brilliant, fizzing with the verve of youth and swashbuckling his way into a one-set lead. He is not a power player but his shot selection and touch play were seriously good. More court craftsman than a power hitter, he dragged Djokovic out of position and was always ready with a cute drop shot when the moment was right.
‘To be honest, I’ve never seen him play up to three or four days ago, I didn’t know much about him,’ said Djokovic. ‘These matches are always tricky, always dangerous, he had nothing to lose. Verya complete player, he pleasantly surprised me with his shots and his fighting spirit.
‘I think we’ll see a lot of him in the future.’
The teenager was playing his idol last night - his WhatsApp profile picture is of Djokovic - but in fact, there was much in Basavarredy’s game that reminded one of the sitting stoically in his opponent’s pod. One drop-shot-lob combination was strikingly Murray-esque.
Another echo of Murray’s early Grand Slam ventures, sadly, was that Basavarredy cramped up at the end of the second set and looked physically compromised thereafter. But the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline was more than respectable.
But for all of Californian’s brilliance, Djokovic was not at his best. His ball speed looked to be down and he was leaking uncharacteristic errors. Murray, sitting courtside, would have been forgiven for asking himself where these kinds of errors were in the finals of 2016, 2015, 2013, and 2011.
So what kind of a figure did Murray cut on the bench? He was certainly on the Ivan Lendl side of the spectrum, doing a passable impression of an Easter Island statue in the first set.
The Scot took his place in the Australian Open’s new courtside coaching pods but, as plush and padded as those seats are, he was not always sitting comfortably.
With a first round against a Grand Slam debutant ranked outside the world’s top 100, Murray might have expected an easy start and an avoidance of any rollockings.
But a superb opening display from Basavareddy raised the tension of the occasion, and it was at the start of the second set, with the match in the balance when Djokovic gave Murray a dose of his own medicine, with a shout, a shrug, and a splay of the arms.
There was even a ‘chatting’ gesture, asking for the new man to do some more talking. Murray knows better than anyone that it is always the coach’s fault.
‘It was a bit of a strange experience having him courtside in my box,’ said Djokovic. ‘He gave me some great advice mid-match and after playing each other for 20 years it’s great having him on my side of the net.’
The show of frustration came as Djokovic was rocked by a display of startling maturity from his American opponent.
Basavareddy was brilliant, fizzing with the verve of youth and swashbuckling his way into a one-set lead. He is not a power player but his shot selection and touch play were seriously good. More court craftsman than a power hitter, he dragged Djokovic out of position and was always ready with a cute drop shot when the moment was right.
‘To be honest, I’ve never seen him play up to three or four days ago, I didn’t know much about him,’ said Djokovic. ‘These matches are always tricky, always dangerous, he had nothing to lose. Verya complete player, he pleasantly surprised me with his shots and his fighting spirit.
‘I think we’ll see a lot of him in the future.’
The teenager was playing his idol last night - his WhatsApp profile picture is of Djokovic - but in fact, there was much in Basavarredy’s game that reminded one of the sitting stoically in his opponent’s pod. One drop-shot-lob combination was strikingly Murray-esque.
Another echo of Murray’s early Grand Slam ventures, sadly, was that Basavarredy cramped up at the end of the second set and looked physically compromised thereafter. But the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline was more than respectable.
But for all of Californian’s brilliance, Djokovic was not at his best. His ball speed looked to be down and he was leaking uncharacteristic errors. Murray, sitting courtside, would have been forgiven for asking himself where these kinds of errors were in the finals of 2016, 2015, 2013, and 2011.
So what kind of a figure did Murray cut on the bench? He was certainly on the Ivan Lendl side of the spectrum, doing a passable impression of an Easter Island statue in the first set.
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