Why Andy Murray will struggle to inspire Novak Djokovic to Australian Open title
Yesterday at 07:33 AM
Novak Djokovic is no stranger to hitting the headlines as arguably the greatest player to ever grace a tennis court but the bombshell news that he had appointed long-term adversary Andy Murray as his new coach was extraordinary even by his explosive standards.
The two iconic stars, who were born just seven days apart, have teamed up in Melbourne as Djokovic seeks to make history by winning an 11th Australian Open and eclipsing the record of 24 grand-slam singles titles he shares with Margaret Court.
If he is successful the 37-year-old Serbian will defy Father Time to become the oldest player to win a slam since Ken Rosewall won the last of his eight major titles in this tournament in 1972 at the same age.
Murray retired after the Paris Olympics in August and follows fellow former world No.1 Boris Becker in guiding Djokovic at the first major of the year and he faces a tough task as 2024 was a rollercoaster year for his old buddy.
Djokovic did not win a grand-slam title for the first time since 2017 and it was the first season since 2005 that he did not even triumph at an ATP tournament, but he did claim the Olympic gold medal he coveted for the first time in his scintillating career.
Murray has been brought in to 'bring a fresh look' to Djokovic's game and his vast experience as a three-time grand-slam winner and double Olympic champion could lead to a fairytale triumph at 9/2 with Ladbrokes and Coral.
But the harsh reality is it will take a Herculean effort even by Novak's incredible standards to power last defending champion Jannik Sinner. The Italian won 73 matches last year, losing just six times as he won three of the four slams while also reaching the last four at Wimbledon and the 23-year-old world No.1 is the man to beat at 13/8 with SpreadEx.
The women's tournament could also be won by the defending champion with Aryna Sabalenka taking the title for a third straight year in the Rod Laver Arena at 4/1 with Bet Victor, Betfred and Betway. Placing the reigning US Open champion and new world No.1 in a double with Sinner makes a whole heap of sense.
• Hideki Matsuyama can join Ernie Els and Justin Thomas in completing the Hawaii double by following his record-breaking success at The Sentry on Sunday, where he won with a PGA Tour record 35 under par, by claiming his second title at this week's Sony Open.
Matsuyama, flagged up by this column on social media last week at 20/1, can continue our hot start to the new year by winning at 9/1 with numerous firms including William Hill, Paddy Power, Betfred, bet365 and Betfair. Cornwall's Harry Hall finished tied eighth and is worth a flutter at 50/1 with bet365 while Russell Henley and Kurt Kitayama are our other each-ways at 20/1 and 35/1 respectively with the same firm.
• Sean Dyche could do with a decent FA Cup run to alleviate some of the growing pressure he is facing at Everton and the Toffees are 20/23 with BoyleSports to lead Peterborough HT/FT in their third-round match at Goodison Park. It may not be pretty though and under 2.5 goals is 7/4 with the same firm, Paddy Power, bet365, Bet Victor and SpreadEx.
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