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

Andy Murray has given Novak Djokovic full license to rage at him during matches, insisting he is “absolutely here” for criticizing him in the stands.

Of course, the Scot would have been the worst of hypocrites if he had said otherwise, after 20 years of complaining and fuming towards his coaching box.

Djokovic is also not shy about expressing himself on the court, and the tennis world is feverish with excitement to see how these two old rivals will interact.

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

'I know it's not easy out there. It is stressful and at times he vents with his team and his box. As long as you do your best and try as hard as you can, I'm absolutely fine with you expressing yourself however you want.”

Murray's frank exchanges of views with his team were less about finding someone to blame than a way to cheer himself up, and he believes Djokovic is cut in the same way.

Andy Murray (right) will coach his longtime rival Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

The Scot has revealed that he will have no problem if Djokovic yells at him during matches

“In many ways we are quite similar characters, so I hope to empathize with him on the court,” he said.

“You have to be very careful with emotional players, preventing them from feeling like they can vent if they need to: sometimes repressing everything is not the right way; the frequent description of how players look in those moments is that they look very flat and that's not what you want.

“So there's a balance as well and like I said, as long as he's doing his best and trying his hardest, I'm absolutely here for all of that.”

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

“Sometimes it's very funny,” he said. 'But high performance isn't supposed to be about laughter, jokes and silliness. In all the time I've been on tour, I haven't seen that in any of the best players in the world. I've seen it in some of the lower ranked players and that's one of the reasons they're not there. The best players take it seriously.

'(Training) is not always easy. It's demanding but extremely rewarding when you make a breakthrough in a practice and something starts to feel a little better.'

So have he and Djokovic made a 'breakthrough'? 'I think so, but he may say otherwise!'

Various commentators have said a lot about what Murray brings to the table as a coach, but it was instructive to ask the man himself.

“I hope to have a decent knowledge of the players and an understanding of what the game is like right now,” he said. “One of the positives about coming straight off the tour is that I played against a lot of these guys. I know what their serve speed is like, what the topspin of their shots is like, and I have a decent understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Murray believes he is already communicating well with Djokovic as the Serbian superstar aims to win his 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'll be able to see the game through Novak's eyes and help him.” with the correct strategy on the field.”

Of course, there's a big “if he's not broke” element to coaching the greatest player of all time. Djokovic may be at a relative low point in his career (he didn't reach a single tour final last year), but Murray won't tear it all 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 great team around him. They have as important a role as mine and have worked with him for an incredibly long time. The latest What I want to do is go in and change everything and say, 'You're doing this wrong, you're doing that wrong.'

“I want to help Novak win and I am working as hard as I can to achieve that with him and his team.”