Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Targeted Results with Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably didn't get the results I would have wanted" during his short-lived tenure coaching his former rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who ended his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration dissolved after only half a year.

In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray teamed up with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and three other tournaments.

"You're working with not only one of the best tennis players but one of the best athletes of all time, so my expectation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray remarked in an interview.

He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense."

Reflecting on the Stint

Upon reflection, Murray conveyed that he is glad he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said.

During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev.

Following that, upon his return, Djokovic experienced opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

"It was regrettable what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"After the injury, it was undoubtedly a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I learned a lot about what coaching involves."

A Demanding Start and Career Reflections

Murray also recounted an story from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating."

Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray admitted he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs.

Views on the Tennis Schedule

The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players.

Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players.

"I don't think there's anything that shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained.

"When you're more tired, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are sensing now, just being away for longer.

"I don't think the matches are so much more demanding than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the quantity of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."