Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Outcomes with Djokovic

Andy Murray has stated that he "probably didn't get the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

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

In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and three other 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 noted in an interview.

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

Assessing the Period

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

During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev.

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

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

An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections

Murray also shared an story from his first day on the job, when he was invited 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 "humiliating."

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

Views on the Tennis Tour

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

Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his latter career, had opposed 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 shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained.

"When you're more fatigued, 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."