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

Andy Murray has commented that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his brief tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership dissolved 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 several additional tournaments.

"The role involves 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 immensely difficult," Murray said in an interview.

He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Assessing the Experience

In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said.

During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his match against Alexander Zverev.

Following that, upon his return, Djokovic experienced first-round losses 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 sensational 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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching entails."

A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also disclosed an story 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing."

Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs.

Opinion About the Tennis Tour

The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players.

Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had been 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 shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more tired and psychologically drained 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 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."