Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic
Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the arrangement ended after only half a year.
In his debut position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray teamed up with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of 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 assumption was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview.
He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."
Looking Back at the Experience
In retrospect, Murray stated that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said.
During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his match against Alexander Zverev.
Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured opening-round defeats 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 said.
"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 let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves."
A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections
Murray also disclosed 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing."
Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.
Views on the Tennis Schedule
The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players.
Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his later years, had voted against 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 indicates 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 tired, you're more vulnerable 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."
