🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Results with Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival 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 one-time 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 arrangement dissolved after only half a year. In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of 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 exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Reflecting on the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his return, Djokovic suffered first-round losses 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 ridiculous 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 is." A Challenging Start and Career Reflections Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against 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 indicates 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 stated. "When you're more tired, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My view 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 genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival 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 one-time 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 arrangement dissolved after only half a year. In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of 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 exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Reflecting on the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his return, Djokovic suffered first-round losses 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 ridiculous 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 is." A Challenging Start and Career Reflections Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against 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 indicates 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 stated. "When you're more tired, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My view 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 genuinely an issue."