Djokovic said that he hired Murray as his coach because he knows him very well

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Hiring Andy Murray as his coach came naturally for Novak Djokovic. On a trip to Argentina to play in a farewell match for Juan Martín del Potro, the Serbian explained why he chose his former rival after being without a coach for six months.

Murray and Djokovic announced last week they plan to work together for the Australian Open in January.

“Since I was very young, I have played against him… and there are not many people who have won multiple Grand Slam titles,” said Djokovic in Spanish in a press conference before the match against Del Potro.

Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other player in tennis history. Murray won three major trophies and two Olympic singles gold medals and finished 2016 atop the ATP rankings. He ended his playing career after the Paris Olympics in August.

Both men are 37 and were born a week apart in May 1987. They started facing each other as juniors and wound up meeting 36 times as professionals, with Djokovic holding a 25-11 advantage.

“He knows my game and everything that I have been through very well,” added Djokovic, currently No. 7 in the ATP rankings. “He knows the things that are wrong with my game, all of my mistakes.”

Djokovic has been without a full-time coach since splitting in March from Goran Ivanisevic.

Del Potro, who won the US Open in 2009, won the exhibition match played in Parque Roca, Buenos Aires, 6-4, 7-5.

“We played against each other in the biggest stages of our sport, but in the end our friendship was bigger than the rivalry,” added Djokovic. “We are here to celebrate Juan Martin’s career and to enjoy every moment.”

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Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro during an exhibition tennis match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd during an exhibition tennis match against Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Former tennis player Gabriela Sabatini and Juan Martin Del Potro high-five during an exhibition doubles tennis match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Gisela Dulko in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Former tennis players Juan Martin Del Potro returns the ball alongside Gabriela Sabatini during an exhibition doubles tennis match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Gisela Dulko in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts during an exhibition tennis match against Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Former tennis player Gabriela Sabatini, center, poses with Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro, right, and Serbia's Novak Djokovic prior to an exhibition tennis match in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday had the AIDS Memorial Quilt spread on the White House South Lawn for the first time in observance of World AIDS Day.

Gathered with the president and his wife, Jill, were survivors, family members and advocates to memorialize the lives lost to the epidemic. The president emphasized the federal government's support for the 1.2 million people in the United States living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can lead to AIDS.

“This movement is fully woven into the fabric and history of America,” Biden said. “For all the lives lost, for all those that are still alive, look at what you’ve already done to change the hearts and minds, to save lives across the country and around the world. That's the power of this movement.”

There were 124 sections of the quilt on the lawn to commemorate people who died due to AIDS-related illnesses. Conceived in 1985, the quilt made its public first appearance in 1987. There was also a red ribbon, a symbol of support and awareness for those with HIV and AIDS, draped across the South Portico of the White House.

There are 40 million people around the world with HIV, according to the White House.

Introducing Biden was Jeanne White-Ginder, whose son, Ryan White, contracted AIDS through a tainted blood transfusion at the age of 13 and died in 1990 at the age of 18. She said her son's experience taught America that “we needed to fight AIDS and not the people who have it.”

The Ryan White CARE Act became law in 1990 and White-Grinder recalled being at the U.S. Capitol to speak for the measure and met Biden when he was a senator from Delaware.

The president also saluted Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert until leaving the government in 2022. Fauci was in attendance at the event because of his work on HIV/AIDS, though he's known by much of the country for his efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic that made him a target of criticism by many Republican lawmakers.

The Biden administration has sought to make investments to stop the epidemic and the stigmas attached to people with HIV. Among other steps, it has worked to expand access to PrEP, or the pre-exposure prophylaxis, which at-risk populations use to prevent HIV infections.

President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden walk between AIDS Memorial Quilts spread over the South Lawn at the White House during a ceremony to commemorate World AIDS Day with survivors, their families and advocates, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk between AIDS Memorial Quilts spread over the South Lawn of the White House during a ceremony to commemorate World AIDS Day with survivors, their families and advocates, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)