Novandy - Blog Posts
Murray’s Garden
(all these bullocks came out when I was watching Clarkson's Farm so Cromlix team please send the legal documents to them)
Season 1 - Spring
(Tim Henmman narrator voice)
Andy Murray — former World No.1, three-time Grand Slam champion, two-times Olympic gold medalist, knight of the realm, and owner of at least one functioning metal hip — is now officially:
an ex-tennis player and full-time dad.
Yep.
These days, Andy’s biggest opponents are battles involve snails and slugs and children refusing to eat sad looking lettuce.
Welcome to Murray’s Garden — a delightfully chaotic show, slightly soggy patch of Scottish countryside where Andy and Kim Murray have taken over Cromlix, their boutique hotel-slash-restaurant-slash-sanity experiment, and decided:
yes, let’s also get Andy into gardening.
Episode 1: “How hard can it be?”
(Andy, stares down a courgette plant and start to talk to the camera)
“You’d think growing flowers and veggies would be relaxing. It’s not. It’s… stressful. There are slugs. So many slugs. And Kim keeps saying ‘the tomatoes are your responsibility now’, like I’ve somehow emotionally committed to them.”
Meanwhile, Kim is calmly running the hotel, managing chefs, and catching Andy every time he tries to sneak off to the golf course.
Andy, in a moment of misplaced ambition, tries to grow aubergines. No one knows why. Even he’s not sure.
“I just thought they looked cool. Turns out they’re just total greenhouse drama queens.”
They die. He mourns them briefly, then plants carrots out of their spite.
Episode 2: Customer service
Camera catches Andy trying not to react when a guest criticizes his “sad little garden: “Maybe you should stick to tennis, Andy.”
Andy mutters: “Thanks. Really helpful insight at this stage of my life.”
Later, he’s seen holding a droopy lettuce.
“Look at you. Rotting. Struggling.”
(Camera zooms in. They look… fine. Slightly unimpressed.)
“I think the veg can look sad. But honestly — who needs vegetables with feelings?”
Just then, a pair of hotel guests appear on the garden path. “Excuse me! Aren’t you that tennis chap? What’s your name… Tim?”
Andy: “…No.” (deadpan) “He cried less.”
Later, another guest asks if he’s “that gardener who looks like that tennis guy.”
Andy says yes.
He gets tipped £5.
Kim says “Don’t spend it all at once.”
Episode 3: Special guests
Late afternoon, Jamie brings a small table set with mismatched china, scones, clotted cream, and an alarmingly large pot of tea.
They share tea. Andy sooths a bit after having sugar rush over scones with cream. “You ever notice gardening’s like tennis? You plant, practice, devote your time and emotion… and some muppet tramples it all.”
Jamie says “Sounds like you as a doubles partner.”
Andy: “F**k you.”
One day, post-Geneva Open. Andy is seen aggressively weeding.
In Cromlix driveway, a black car pulls up. Jelena, Tara, Stefan hop out the car, and a frankly overpacked suitcase with a tennis racket sticking out.
Andy, staring in slow horror as Stefan and Tara run toward him and jump on the lettuces.
Jelena and Kim chat and move to the Greenhouse for a drink. Andy keeps “gardening” but his eyes flick every time he hears Jelena say “Nole.” The kids are now running crazy in the fairy garden.
Kim sips her wine calmly: “They haven’t spoken in person for weeks. But they have been ignoring each other on social media. That counts for something.”
Jelena shrugs “We just thought it would be… healing, to have a conversation here. Neutral ground. Leafy and low-stakes.”
Kim smiles: “It’s Cromlix, not Geneva.”
Later in the day, Stefan bounces around with a mini racket and ask to play with Andy. “Dad says I’ve got ready good footwork - better than you actually.”
Andy tries not to smile but failed: “You shouldn't listen to him. That’s a low bar. I’ve had surgery in most of those feet.”
Stefan runs around the net post, before hitting a Nadal-style forehand. Andy does a half-jump. Groans. Doesn’t reach it. “I am playing nice. I haven’t lobbed him yet.”
Andy gears up for a big return. He gives a big lob - Stefan reaches for a overhead - And he smashes the ball over the net!
Stefan runs to Andy and gives him an overnet hug: “I won! Can I tell my dad about this?”
“...Just don't mention me as ‘ex-coach.’”
Tara comes in with a wimbledon trophey made from garden tree sticks and flowers, and that melt everyone's heart.
Evening. The garden and tennis court are lit up with fairy lights. Kim and Jelena sit with beer in hands while Andy is trying to take six kids to bed.
Kim's camera talk time:
“He’ll never say it on camera. He’ll never say it to me, probably. But he’s grieving. Not about the glory or the crowds. More like missing the roar, his identity, his relationships.
Gardening forces him to slow down and sit with the loss. Forces him to let go — to weather, to worms, to kids. And that’s good for him.
But if you tell him I said that, he’ll deny it and go passive agressive weeding again.”
"He didn’t speak to Novak and avoid mentioning him for weeks. But I did catch him watering those carrots, right after Stefan texted him said Novak used to talk to his plants too. P.S: Andy has recently been told by Novak that plants can respond to emotions. He said he will critically test that theory.”
Hidden Camera: Andy talking to the carrots
(Soft Scottish folk music plays.)
“Great job. You’re brilliant. I believe in you. You’re not failures. You’re just… late bloomers. Like Dan Evans.”
What if we - completely accidentally and not on purpose at all - touched hands over the racquet?
(📸 William West)
When you've just announced your separation but you still look like a couple in every photo.
the 2024 men's tennis season is so confusing rn
who’s coaching who now what where HUH???
Andy: „I mean, I think, as you get older as athletes, and with some of the physical issues, yeah, you do think about ‘when should you stop’ and ‘when is the right moment’ and ‘how would you like it to be’...”
Novak: *dies inside*
Me watching all the novandy moments from this past week
GIF credit: @ellsieee. Sorry I didn’t tag you before!! 🫣🙏
@springybreak this is your fault
im new to the novandy lore, but one thing is for sure- there's no way the decision to end the coaching-player relation was mutual. soo...who do u think wanted the divorce this time? i know basically nothing abt them so im open to all opinions pls do share!
Tags by @crossedcourt <3
I will now run with them and write an essay because I am always insane about Novandy ;-)
Specifically I want to talk about the "yes i've beaten you on every surface" part. Because I've had a few messages and seen a few comments to the effect of "Wait, they are starting a partnership at the Australian Open of all places?! How many times did Novak beat Andy there?" To which the answer is: Andy lost four of his five Australian Open finals to Novak, three of them rather badly (two in straight sets, one with a fourth set bagel) and he also very narrowly lost probably the most epic match they ever played - according to both of them - which was the Australian Open semifinal in 2012.
While this would be devastating and a cause for animosity for many tennis players I need you to understand that THEY ARE NOT LIKE THAT. At their first meeting at an under-14 tournament, Les Petits As in France in 2001, which concidentally was Novak's first international tournament ever, Andy destroyed him 6-0, 6-1 (Novak: "You gave me one game!") and they still laugh about it to this day. If and when they do press for this new coaching partnership, expect this to come up a few times.
It has always felt to me like their modus operandi was: us against the world (Novak: “Sometimes we catch up for dinner. It’s good to see somebody you grew up with doing so well in professional tennis and it’s great to show to people that top-five players, who are big rivals on the court, can be really good friends as well.”) And it never really changed, even when Novak took a commanding 24-11 lead in the H2H over the years (I am only counting matches played and leaving out the fucking tragic walkover from Andy that prevented their last meeting from happening), after it briefly almost evened out in 2012/2013.
This attitude, of course, is rather impressive from Andy, who could very well be bitter about how differently their careers have gone, considering that they are such similar players who were born only one week apart and that there was definitely much more hype around Andy at the start of their careers (Novak said when they were both 18 and played doubles at, you've guessed it, the Australian Open, that he would and wouldn't like to be like Andy because on the one hand Andy had much more support than him at the time, on the other hand he had the crushing weight of expectations to contend with).
But instead of being bitter, for the last few years of his career you could hear Mr. Murray say things like: “It would be amazing to see him do it [win the 23d Grand Slam] on Sunday. I will be supporting him. And I hope he can do it. Because it is incredible what he has done.” or plainly "I'm happy for him, he deserves it." Or even: "After Wimbledon [2023], everyone was saying it was a changing of the guard, but it wasn't for me." Oh it wasn't for you? You are defensive over the man who has beaten you more than any other in your career being written off too early?
Even during that crazy year of 2016, when they were the two frontrunners in the rankings by miles and Andy was chasing the number one spot, what did he say after losing the only French Open final he ever played? Well, he started it off with "This is his day today. What he’s achieved the last 12 months is phenomenal." and not only told the audience they had been extremely lucky to see Novak make history once again, but also ended with: "I’m proud to have been a part of today."
Us. Against. The. World.
So that's Andy, but what about Novak? Well, not to be outdone he will mention Andy in almost every interview, even when he was very much not asked about him. He will remember the 2013 Wimbledon final which he lost in straight sets to Andy as "a historic, special moment that I cherish" and, on court at the ATP Finals 2016, after his own second half of the year had been rather dismal, he also explained to the crowd that they were part of history that day and that "It was an honour to be on the court and to be a part of the big occasion. Andy is definitely number one of the world. He is the best player. He deserved to win."
If asked about the best matches he has played with Andy he will readily mention the 2012 London Olympics semifinal. We all know how important the Olympics have always been to Novak (if you didn't before 2024, you certainly know now) and this was a semifinal loss at his beloved Olympics in straight sets. Let that sink in.
When Andy retired this year, Novak explained: “He will inspire many generations to come. He inspires me, and we are about the same age." He, who has just finished his career outside of the top 100 and in a doubles match because his body wouldn't even let him play singles anymore, inspires you, who has achieved more than any other in this sport? That's really lovely, Novak. Oh, and by the way, how about Andy becoming world No. 1 and ending Novak's longest stint at No. 1 in his career? Novak's post at the time: "I am really happy to be in the same era with you."
Us. Against. The. World.
So, to make a very long story short: If I was surprised about the coaching news yesterday it was because they actually went for it, not because it seemed outlandish to me in any way. As you can see, it makes perfect sense. I am really glad we are getting another chapter of this story which - according to Novak - is "A script, a long story. A romance, I’ll call it." after we previously were treated to - according to Andy - "Rivals, doubles partners, friends and lovers?" By the way, he still has that Instagram post pinned. Anyway, before I digress, let me conclude this by saying:
You thought their story was over? Think again.
For real do we have any reasonable explanation on why would Andy chose to be Novak's coach or why would Novak chose to have Andy as a coach?
Honestly because I can't find one that doesn't sound insane
Novandy divorce this, novandy marriage problems that. The entire prognosis of their ship was so children of divorced parents could roleplay with them as a form of exposure therapy. Their second house is the family court. Their divorce lawyers are so tired of them, they hate-fuck each other about it. The marriage counsellor quit her job because she felt like the phone in phone sex. The judge is so close to hurling the gavel at novak's lego man head. Andy is going to walk away with half of Serbia in his pocket.
first time seeing each other post divorce
Andy serving demure wife that's gonna sue her husband for all his money's worth but also happy and proud of his gay awakening slash first kiss vs. Novak serving desperate husband that's tryna ride his career high whilst hopefully rekindling his ex situationship as if Swiss homotron 3000 ain't next to him ready eat that Spanish cake raw
but also? fascinated by the idea that novak djokovic, having won everything there is to win in tennis and learned most all of what he really needs to learn, in searching for a coach decided that what he really wanted was a friend
in the span of a week we got fedal love letter and novandy coaching where am i
![My Team… […] Only Thing I Can Say Is ‘Thank You.’ Not Only For Being With Me In The Good Times](https://64.media.tumblr.com/9e1d9b3d9fd5154ed0eb5a3327f4a971/59992848b1a245e7-15/s500x750/959d299ac022232ce51826b64624b9a9b6d485a0.png)
![My Team… […] Only Thing I Can Say Is ‘Thank You.’ Not Only For Being With Me In The Good Times](https://64.media.tumblr.com/714b97ba42f89f7f7c0fbfdd13472c98/59992848b1a245e7-db/s500x750/b8f618f07f38170338b8a03517bb965d28bc3731.png)
My team… […] only thing I can say is ‘Thank you.’ Not only for being with me in the good times but also in the bad times. And today was very challenging to stay with me on the court ‘cause I was going off at you guys quite a lot throughout the match - and only you know how difficult it is to stay in this level of craziness coming from me from the court. So I wanna thank you for still staying here, all the way through, and earning together with me this victory number 100.
“At the end you went over to Andy. This your first massive test with your new coach. How satisfied are you with how that's gone?”
Novak: “Yeah, I mean, I felt to do it in the end of the match. I feel more and more connected with Andy every day. We face challenges every single day. People don't see that obviously. I mean, we try to make the most out of every day and grow together. He's been as committed to my career and this tournament as he can be.
So it was kind of a, yeah, gesture of appreciation, respect for him, and the fact that he's out there, and he doesn't need to be. He accepted to work with me. He's giving all his support to me, to the whole team, and trying to make it work.
This was a huge win for all of us, including Andy and myself, you know, for the relationship. Yeah, that's why I went to him, because I just felt very grateful that he's there.”
At this rate I am hoping to read 50+ fanfic about Coach Andy Murray and his unruly pupil Novak Djokovic.
sorry for barging into the askbox but you tagging the post you reblogged from me with this
at the exact same time i was saying this to a moot in the dms killed me.
they have no shame heheeee
CONFIRMED TRUTH. "cmon coach lay down the law. you can be Harder on me. coach. c o a c h." half joking half he is dead serious and andy is So uncomfortably turned on. and mad about it.
The the thing is I'm swinging between three ships in 2024 simultaneously is saying something about me
how delulu I could be
Novak x Carlos
Their supermanship, closeness, mutual respect, and Novak calling Carlos 'Titanito' seemed like a solid explanation to ship them. Every time they played each other, they made histories of the sport.
Wimbledon 2023
Cinncinatti 2023
Olympics 2024
I even wrote three fics this year based on them 😅
Rafole
Novak was their to see Rafa's last match in French Open. They had their last official match ( Record 60th) not counting Riyadh as it was exhibition on the very court where they played their first one back in 2006. Novak initiating that 'Band Boy Photo' with Rafa and their 4 kids and him promising to present for Rafa's retirement even though davis cup fucked it up . They also seem to be getting along quite well these last few months. Hope Novak gets his wish fulfilled to drink mojito with Rafa by the beach.
Novandy
Novak announcing Andy as his coach.
(One sentence is enough)
Delpole
We will be getting so much delpole content on Dec 1. I can't wait for it. Their hugs has always been epic and they are good friends on and off the court. It was nice of Novak to help the soft giant.
Written by Fate
Andy's one of the first tournament as Junior back in 2001 against Novak.
Andy's first masters 100 title in Cincinnati, 2008 against Novak.
Andy's first Grand Slam Title US Open in 2012 against Novak.
Andy's first Wimbledon Championship in 2013 against Novak.
Andy's first time as World No 1 in 2016 against Novak.
Honorable mention,
Novak's first time winning French Open in 2016 against Andy.
In all of these events,
Born a week apart, they have been each other's very first, since the day they were 11 year old boys with dreams and high hopes.
The coaching news seems so fitting with this notion.
Andy's first time as Coach of Novak.
They are finally in the same team.
One day has passed, lack of Novandy new fics in ao3 is sad, honestly 🥲
Just Novak still wearing the gift from his first fan, getting some encouragement from his coach.
"Today, sometimes on the big screen I saw the face of Andy Murray. He gets so tight and nervous out there. Do you actually realize that when you play sometimes he gets really pale and white?" Novak: I don't notice that. Actually he has pretty much the same poker face that I've been seeing for 30 years on the court. Great to have so much energy from him, from his corner, he encourages me all the time, so I love him it. AO fourth round interview
“I feel more connected to Andy every day” “we try to make the most of every day and grow together” “he’s out there and he doesn’t need to be” yeah I’m not normal about this