🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Outcomes with Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 encounters against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and three other 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 expectation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Looking Back at the Experience In retrospect, Murray stated that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray noted. "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 gained valuable insight about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "awkward." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his final seasons, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm 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 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 sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 encounters against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and three other 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 expectation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Looking Back at the Experience In retrospect, Murray stated that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray noted. "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 gained valuable insight about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "awkward." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his final seasons, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm 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 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 sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."