Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Wanted Results for Djokovic

Andy Murray has stated that he "probably didn't get the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who finalized his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration dissolved 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 several additional 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 exceptionally tough," Murray remarked in an interview.

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

Reflecting on the Experience

In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented.

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

Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing 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 said.

"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 entails."

A Demanding Start and Career Reflections

Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was invited 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 successful playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic victories.

Views on the Tennis Calendar

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

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

"I don't think there's anything that indicates 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 stated.

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

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