Andy Murray explains how he expects his partnership with Novak Djokovic to work after agreeing to coach Serbian superstar at the Australian Open

Andy Murray has given Novak Djokovic full permission to rage at him during matches, insisting he is ‘absolutely here’ because he has earned an earful in the stands.

Of course, the Scot would have been the worst of hypocrites to say otherwise, after twenty years of ranting and raving at his coach’s box.

Djokovic is also not afraid to express himself on the court, and the tennis world is at a fever pitch to see how these two old rivals will interact.

“Of course I’ve thought about it,” Murray said on the practice courts at Melbourne Park on Thursday. “I would think I would be one of the people who would understand that side of things.

‘I know it’s not easy there. It’s stressful and sometimes he vents to his team and his box. As long as he puts in the effort and gives his best, I’m fine with him expressing himself the way he wants to.”

Murray’s own frank exchanges with his team have been less about finding someone to blame than finding a way to cheer himself up, and he believes Djokovic is cut from the same cloth.

The Scot has revealed he will have no problem with Djokovic shouting at him during matches

“We’re similar in a lot of ways, so I hope I can relate to him on the field,” he said.

‘You have to be very careful with emotional players and make sure they don’t feel like they can vent when they need to: sometimes suppressing everything is not the right way – the description of what players look like in those moments is often : they look very flat and that is not what you want.

“So there’s a balance as well and like I said, as long as he does the best he can and does the best he can, I’m absolutely here for all of that.”

Murray is clearly enjoying his new role, but the quest to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam is serious business.

“Sometimes it’s a lot of fun,” he says. ‘But top performance shouldn’t consist of laughing, joking and messing around. In all the time I’ve been on tour, I’ve never seen that from one of the best players in the world. I’ve seen it from some lower ranked players and that’s one of the reasons they’re not there. The best players take it seriously.

‘(Coaching) is not always easy. It’s demanding, but it’s extremely satisfying when you make a breakthrough in a practice and start to feel a little better.’

So have he and Djokovic achieved a ‘breakthrough’? “I think so, but he might say something else!”

Much has been said by various commentators about what Murray brings to the table as a coach, but it felt educational to ask the man himself.

“I hope I have a decent knowledge of the players and understand what the game is like now,” he said. “One of the positives about coming straight off tour is that I’ve played against a lot of these guys. I know how fast they serve, the topspin of their shots and I have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Murray believes he is already communicating well with Djokovic as the Serbian superstar looks to win a 25th grand slam in Melbourne

‘I think a lot of people who saw me play would say that understanding the game, the strategy and the tactical side of things was one of my strengths. Hopefully, as a coach, I can see the game through Novak’s eyes and help him with the right strategy on the field.’

Of course, there’s a big element of ‘if it ain’t broke’ in coaching the greatest player of all time. Djokovic may be at a relative low point in his career – he didn’t reach a single final on the tour last year – but Murray won’t tear everything up and start over.

“Because of the situation and how unusual it is, there is a lot of talk about my relationship with Novak, but there is a big team around him. They play just as important a role as I do and have been working with him for an incredibly long time. The last thing I want to do is come in and change everything and say, ‘You’re doing this wrong, you’re doing that wrong.’ It’s about making small changes.

“I want to help Novak win and I’m working as hard as I can to do that with him and his team.”