🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Wanted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership dissolved after only half a year. In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and three other tournaments. "The role involves 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 exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "After the injury, it was certainly a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "humiliating." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that indicates players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more tired and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more tired, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are feeling 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership dissolved after only half a year. In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and three other tournaments. "The role involves 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 exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "After the injury, it was certainly a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "humiliating." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that indicates players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more tired and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more tired, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are feeling 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."