Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Outcomes with Djokovic
Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement concluded after only half a year.
In his debut coaching role, 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 immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview.
He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."
Reflecting on the Experience
Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he commented.
During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his match against Alexander Zverev.
Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced first-round losses 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 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 came away wiser about what coaching involves."
A Demanding Start and Career Reflections
Murray also disclosed an story 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 fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "awkward."
Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.
Views on the Tennis Tour
The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players.
Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had opposed 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 tired 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 vulnerable 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 demanding 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."
