Novak Djokovic’s new partnership with Andy Murray is off to a good start.

Djokovic consulted with his new coach on court after the third set of his 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 victory over American Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round of the Australian Open, and the Serbian seemed receptive to be what Murray said. Still, Djokovic admitted it was a “strange experience” to literally have Murray so close to him during the match.

“It’s just business for us now,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “Obviously I’m thrilled to have him in my corner. I have to say it was a bit of a strange experience having him in my box right on the sidelines. We have played against each other at the highest level for over 20 years and it is great to have him on the same side of the net.

“He gave me some great advice in the middle of the game. I think it’s really good that we now have the ability to allow coaches on the same page so we can share feedback and get our coaches to tell us what they’re really seeing from the side of the field. It’s a completely different angle and perspective when you’re watching from the side, and he’s doing really well. It was an enjoyable experience, hopefully we don’t stop here.”

As for the game itself, Djokovic hit 23 aces, including one on match point, en route to his 18th second-round appearance in Melbourne. He then gave Basavareddy, who has a picture of Djokovic on his WhatsApp profile, flowers for his appearance.

“I think he was the better player for a set and a half,” the 24-time major champion said on court. “He deserves every applause he got when he left the pitch. It’s a great achievement. To be completely honest, I had never seen him play until three or four days ago, so I didn’t know much about him and such encounters are always tricky, always dangerous.”

Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, took on Murray as part of a trial period to win a record 25th Grand Slam title. He obviously respects Murray, who only retired last year and is familiar with today’s players.

“Seeing Murray so positive, screaming ‘come on,’ him standing up all the time, clapping all the time, that alone just gives you confidence when you’re Novak,” ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez said on the broadcast.

Djokovic is coming off a year in which he finally won an Olympic gold medal in singles at the Paris Olympics, but did not win a major after three wins in 2023.

In his attempt to reach the No. 25 major, he defeated Basavareddy in four sets. Murray and the rest of Djokovic’s team ceremoniously shook hands.

Djokovic defeated Murray in four Australian Open finals. So should Djokovic go on and win the title, Murray could say he’s finally competing in an Australian Open championship.

“This man had only himself to blame, but I’m not here to sabotage his chances of another win,” Murray joked two weeks ago.

Martina Navratilova, the 18-time major champion, predicted Murray will have an impact on Djokovic, who may face world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals and then possibly No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the semifinals and No 1 Jannik Sinner has to score in the final. All of those players advanced to the second round, while Australian favorite Nick Kyrgios, Djokovic’s most recent doubles partner, lost in straight sets as he struggled with an abdominal problem.

“Novak can really push himself,” Navratilova said on Tennis Channel this week. “He’s been annoyed about his box but I don’t think he’ll do that to Andy and this will help him stay positive when something bad happens and he’ll be a lot stronger mentally just for that reason.” . He will be at his best.”