🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Desired Results with Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 matches against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his brief tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership concluded after only half a year. In his first-ever 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. "The role involves coaching not only one of the best tennis players but one of the best athletes of all time, so my anticipation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. 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. Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated 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 noted. "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 disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching is." An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections Murray also recounted an story 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying 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 weary and mentally more fatigued 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."
Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 matches against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his brief tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership concluded after only half a year. In his first-ever 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. "The role involves coaching not only one of the best tennis players but one of the best athletes of all time, so my anticipation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. 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. Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated 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 noted. "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 disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching is." An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections Murray also recounted an story 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying 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 weary and mentally more fatigued 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."