Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Desired Results for Djokovic
Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement ended after only half a year.
In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and three 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 anticipation 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 Experience
Looking back, Murray stated that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed.
During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev.
Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic suffered 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 definitely 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves."
A Demanding Start and Career Reflections
Murray also recounted 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating."
Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray admitted he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs.
Opinion About the Tennis Schedule
The conversation shifted to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players.
Murray, who was affected by injuries in his later years, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players.
"I don't think there's anything that indicates 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 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 amount of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
