Andy Murray reveals thoughts on Novak Djokovic coaching decision before French Open

Sir Andy Murray has weighed in on underperforming rival Novak Djokovic's surprise decision to part company with the remaining members of his coaching and support staff.

The 12-time Grand Slam winner, having ended his three-year partnership with Boris Becker in December 2016, mutually split with long-time coach Marian Vajda last week and also bade farewell to fitness trainer Gebhard Phil-Gritsch and physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic as part of a course of "shock therapy" that he hopes will lead to him rediscovering his missing spark on the court.

Such a decision was greeted with widespread surprise given that it came just 23 days before the start of the French Open, where Djokovic is the defending champion having finally completed a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros last year.

However, Murray, who deposed the Serbian as world number one in November, believes that the focus should fall upon the enormous success that the group achieved together.

"It's obviously a big change," Murray told Sky Sports before his 6-4, 6-3 victory over Romania's Marius Copil in the second round of the Madrid Open. "A lot of the guys he had been working with, he'd been with for 10 years. In tennis it's extremely rare to have a team around you for that length of time.

"Instead of negatively, it should be viewed positively that they had a great run and achieved great things together. Last year, he held all four Slams."

Djokovic has endured a difficult year, with his latest triumph over Murray in Qatar immediately followed by a stunning loss to Denis Istomin in the second round of the Australian Open. He was then defeated twice in less than two weeks by controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios in Acapulco and Indian Wells before withdrawing from the Miami Open due to an elbow injury.

The 29-year-old returned by beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas to help Serbia to a Davis Cup quarter-final victory over Spain and edged past Gilles Simon and Pablo Carreno Busta at the Monte-Carlo Masters before succumbing to David Goffin in the quarter-finals. He is due to open the defence of his Madrid Open title at La Caja Magica against Nicolas Almagro later on Wednesday (10 May).

Djokovic hinted at the appointment of a new big-name coach at his pre-tournament press conference in Madrid and Andre Agassi has subsequently emerged as a surprise candidate to succeed Becker in an arrangement that could mirror the one Murray currently has with Ivan Lendl.