Andy Murray reveals Novak Djokovic conversation over future relationship after injury disaster in Australian Open exit

Andy Murray said he and Novak Djokovic will have a conversation about their future together after the Scot watched his man retire in the middle of his Australian Open semi-final. Djokovic had been struggling with a muscle tear in his left leg, which was too painful to play through. He conceded defeat to Alexander Zverev, the world No. 2, at the end of the first set tie-break in emotional scenes.

Djokovic forced to retire injured in semi-final against Zverev - Australian Open highlights

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Andy Murray has revealed that he and Novak Djokovic will speak about their future together after the world No. 7 retired from his Australian Open semi-final.

Djokovic recruited the recently-retired Murray as his new coach ahead of the new season, with the Scot enlisted to try and end the Serb’s year-long wait for a major title, and to add a 25th crown to his 24-strong collection.

Djokovic, the 10-time champion at Melbourne Park, retired at the end of the first set against world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, having lost the tie-break 7-5.

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He had been struggling with a muscle tear in his left leg that had been heavily strapped after he sustained the injury during his incredible four-set victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic exclusively told Eurosport that he had considered retiring during that last-eight encounter, but played through the pain to reach the semi-finals and set up a clash with Zverev, who reached the final of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.

Djokovic also threw his future at the year’s opening major into doubt, admitting there was "a chance" that he had played his final match down under.

Now Murray has had his say, with the three-time Grand Slam champion revealing that the pair would sit down and discuss their next steps together.

Watch shock moment Djokovic retires injured against Zverev in 'great shame'

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"Me and Novak agreed that after the tournament we would speak. We’ll do that," Murray said.

"I think he was always going to go out there and give it a good shot. He obviously didn’t train the last couple of days. He practised right before the match and was feeling good enough to give it a go.

"It was an unfortunate way to finish. The match that he played against Alcaraz was some incredible tennis, amazing to watch from the side from that close. It was an amazing performance. He’d been getting gradually better as the tournament was progressing, I think.

"It’s hard. When you get to that stage of the tournament, you feel like you’re getting very close to something very special, and it’s unfortunate if the body’s not responding in the way that you would like."

Djokovic has played through injury twice at the Australian Open to claim the title in Melbourne - in 2021 and 2023 - but this time, the 37-year-old could not soldier on.

"With Novak, there’s always hope because of how great a player he is and he has found ways out of difficult situations before," Murray continued. "It just wasn’t to be this time."

'Please don't boo' - Zverev pleads with fans after Djokovic retires injured

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The Scot, who was defeated five times in the Australian Open final, said he had found the praise directed at him for Djokovic’s performances "embarrassing".

"I feel like they’ve been a great team," Murray said.

"At times it feels a little bit embarrassing that, because of my relationship with Novak, how much people talk about that, or when there’s a good result or a good performance, that it’s because I’ve helped him.

"I’m fully aware that the team that is with him has done an incredible job over many, many years to allow him to still be competing at this level at the age that he’s at.

"They’ve all been really, really helpful to me. They really welcomed me into the team. It’s been great to be a part of. I got to witness some amazing tennis, and one of the best matches that I’ve seen live against Alcaraz.

"It’s a steep learning curve for me as well. Obviously, there are a lot of things that, as a player, are different when you’re coaching. There’s a lot more that you need to help with in terms of communication around the team.

"You’re not just thinking about yourself like you are when you’re a player. I’ve certainly learned a lot but there’s a lot more still for me to learn, that’s for sure."