Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Targeted Results with Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his short-lived tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration dissolved after only half a year.

In his maiden position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of other tournaments.

"It's a job coaching 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 extremely challenging," Murray remarked in an interview.

He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is highly intense."

Reflecting on the Experience

Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed.

During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

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

"After the injury, it was definitely a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching entails."

A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections

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

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

Views on the Tennis Calendar

The conversation moved onto the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players.

Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his latter career, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm players.

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

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

"I don't think the matches are so much more grueling 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."