Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Desired Results with Djokovic
Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who concluded his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year.
In his debut position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and several additional 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 anticipation was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray said 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 highly intense."
Assessing the Period
Upon reflection, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed.
During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev.
Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.
"It was a shame what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous 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 is."
A Challenging Start and Career Reflections
Murray also shared an incident 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 called "embarrassing."
Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic victories.
Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar
The conversation shifted to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players.
Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his final seasons, had opposed 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 worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated.
"When you're more tired, you're more vulnerable 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 taxing 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."
