🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Desired Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of other 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 extremely challenging," Murray noted in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to 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 early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling 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 extraordinary 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 disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident 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 labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests 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 commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more susceptible 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 grueling 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."
Novak Djokovic secured 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of other 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 extremely challenging," Murray noted in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to 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 early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling 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 extraordinary 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 disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident 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 labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests 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 commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more susceptible 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 grueling 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."