World Number 1 Andy Murray has admitted that he was surprised by Novak Djokovic's decision to appoint Andre Agassi as his new coach.

Djokovic made the announcement in the wake of his Rome Masters final loss to Alexander Zverev, meaning that the French Open will be the pair's first tournament together as a team.

Murray, who was vanquished by Djokovic in the 2016 French Open final, explained his surprise by admitting that he did not think Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, would venture into coaching.

"To be helped by Andre, it's definitely a positive thing for Novak and it's good for tennis. When the great players of tennis stay in the sport, it creates lots of interest," Murray said.

"I don't know the details of their agreement. But I know that Andre is a man who is very, very busy. He does many things beyond tennis, he has his school in Las Vegas.

"It was a little surprising because I didn't think he would decide one day to become a coach."

Murray also admitted that it has been difficult to keep himself motivated after taking the world number one spot last year, and admits to have suffered a slump in form ahead of the French Open, which begins on Sunday.

"I got to No 1 in the world at the end of last year and there's been some times this year where it has been difficult to keep up the motivation and set new goals," Murray said.

"But over the last seven, eight years of my career I always wanted to perform my best and play my best tennis at the grand slams and that's still the case now.

"I always feel extra motivation when I come to a slam even if I have been playing badly."

Murray will have to find a way to arrest the slump if he wishes to notch his first victory on the famous clay courts of Roland Garros.

Going into the tournament, many are predicting that it will be Rafael Nadal's year once again, especially given his recent form and his dominance on clay over the years.

However, Djokovic and Murray will both be looking to put previous shortcomings behind them, and both could be a real threat to the Spaniard.