Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Targeted Outcomes for Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure coaching his former rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined 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.

"You're working with 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 remarked in an interview.

He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding."

Looking Back at the Experience

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 beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev.

Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"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 learned a lot about what coaching is."

An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also shared 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "humiliating."

Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.

Views on the Tennis Tour

The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate 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, saying 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 explained.

"When you're more tired, you're more susceptible 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 taxing than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."