🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Targeted Outcomes with Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 matches against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his short-lived tenure guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the arrangement ended after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 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 expectation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray remarked 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 extremely demanding." Reflecting on the Stint Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw with an injury from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced early exits 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 ridiculous 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 let down. 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 recounted an incident 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 fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "awkward." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his later years, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing 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 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 tired, 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 grueling 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."
Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 matches against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his short-lived tenure guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the arrangement ended after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 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 expectation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray remarked 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 extremely demanding." Reflecting on the Stint Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw with an injury from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced early exits 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 ridiculous 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 let down. 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 recounted an incident 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 fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "awkward." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his later years, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing 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 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 tired, 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 grueling 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."