Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Results for Djokovic

Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year.

In his maiden position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of other tournaments.

"You're working with 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 immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview.

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

Looking Back at the Period

Upon reflection, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed.

During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic suffered early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

"It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"After the injury, it was definitely a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I learned a lot about what coaching involves."

A Challenging 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing."

Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.

Views on the Tennis Schedule

The conversation turned to 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, believing the increased time on the road would negatively impact players.

"I don't think there's anything that suggests 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 view 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 actually an issue."