Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who finalized his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, joined Djokovic's staff last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year.

In his first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray worked 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 expectation 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 extremely demanding."

Assessing the Experience

Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he observed.

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

Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

"It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"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 disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching is."

A Demanding Start and Career Reflections

Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He endured calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing."

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

Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule

The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players.

Murray, who was plagued 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 be detrimental to 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 worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented.

"When you're more exhausted, 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 taxing than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the volume of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."