Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Desired Results with Djokovic

Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who finalized his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year.

In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and three 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 assumption was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray remarked in an interview.

He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Reflecting on the Experience

Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said.

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

Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered 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 sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray noted.

"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 Playing Reflections

Murray also disclosed 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing."

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

Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar

The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players.

Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his later years, had opposed 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 psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated.

"When you're more exhausted, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are experiencing 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 amount of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."