Andy Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Results with Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his short-lived tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who ended his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year.

In his debut coaching role, 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 exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview.

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

Looking Back at the Period

Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed.

During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his match against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured opening-round defeats 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 ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching is."

A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also disclosed an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked 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 labeled "embarrassing."

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

Views on the Tennis Tour

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

Murray, who was affected by injuries in his final seasons, had been against 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 suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more tired and worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented.

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

"I don't think the matches are so much more grueling than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the quantity of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."