Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Targeted Outcomes with Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably didn't get the results I would have hoped for" during his six-month tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.

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

In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open 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 assumption was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray remarked in an interview.

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

Assessing the Period

In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed.

During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev.

Subsequently, upon his return, 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 extraordinary 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 came away wiser about what coaching is."

An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also recounted an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was told 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 called "humiliating."

Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.

Views on the Tennis Calendar

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

Murray, who was plagued 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 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 explained.

"When you're more fatigued, you're more vulnerable 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 demanding 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."