Speaking at length to BBC Sport, Murray recalled, “I was playing golf, and we’d been exchanging messages. Novak had messaged me, just wanting to chat. Then I was on the 17th hole of the golf course and the guy I was playing with said: ‘Do you know what’s next?’. I was like: ‘No, not really’. He said: ‘Do you have any plans to do any coaching?’ And I said, ‘Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse to do right now’.”

Adding just could not turn down the unique opportunity to coach long-time rival at the upcoming Australian Open, he told BBC: “Then 30 minutes later, I was in the car and called Novak, and we had a conversation.”

“When somebody like Djokovic asks you, you say yes. But still, I’m surprised that emotionally, he felt ready to get back into the cauldron again,” Navratilova said on Tennis Live. “He put everything into achieving his ultimate goal, which was getting that gold medal. For whatever reason, the Grand Slams didn’t seem as important to Novak in 2024. I think it shifts back to becoming a real focal point for him and his team.”

In a vintage performance to win gold at Paris 2024 Djokovic was brutal, precise shotmaking and the perfect combination of resolute defence and calculated aggression, he defeated Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics – the one tennis achievement that has evaded a resume that contains 24 Majors, all nine Masters 1000 titles, and triumphs at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup.