Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Targeted Outcomes with Djokovic

Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the arrangement dissolved after only half a year.

In his first-ever 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 several additional 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 assumption was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview.

He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Looking Back at the Stint

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

During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

"It was a shame what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray noted.

"After the injury, it was definitely 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 gained valuable insight about what coaching entails."

A Challenging Start and Career Reflections

Murray also shared an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "awkward."

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

Opinion About the Tennis Tour

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

Murray, who was affected 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 suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained.

"When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling 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 actually an issue."