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.’
Novak Djokovic came from a set down to book his place in the Australian Open second round
Andy Murray (right) took his place in the Australian Open’s new courtside coaching pods
Djokovic beat 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy (left) in the first round on Monday
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 was seriously good. More court craftsman than 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. Very 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 which reminded one of the Scot sat 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. In fact Murray, sitting courtside, would have been forgiven for asking himself where these kind 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.
Basavareddy was brilliant, fizzing with the verve of youth and swashbuckling his way into a one-set lead
Djokovic was rocked by a display of startling maturity from his American opponent
Murray’s (left) coaching career is off to a winning start but it was not without a scare
He became more animated in the second and was on his feet whenever Djokovic earned a break points. And when he finally broke the dam to go 5-3 up he gave a beefy fist pump.
There was not much tactical advice or verbal encouragement that was picked up by the microphone, but he did urge Djokovic to be sure to find a first serve on a key point.
Overall, Murray did not look entirely comfortable and that is understandable. For one thing it is all very new to him and for another, the Australian Open’s new pods can be a little exposing. Rather than being tucked away in the stands with Djokovic’s wife and the rest of the gang, he and three others are in full view of most of the stadium.
Djokovic is a passionate man and as this relationship develops, and as the stakes become higher at this event, he will likely need more from Murray courtside.
But this was a solid start to the new alliance, which No 5 seed Daniil Medvedev this week compared to ‘Messi coaching Ronaldo’.
