Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Targeted Results for Djokovic

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

Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year.

In his debut position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open 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 anticipation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray said 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."

Assessing the Experience

In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said.

During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his clash against Alexander Zverev.

Following that, upon his return, Djokovic endured opening-round defeats 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"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 came away wiser about what coaching is."

A Challenging Start and Career Reflections

Murray also recounted an story from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating."

Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray reflected he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs.

Opinion About the Tennis Schedule

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

Murray, who was affected by injuries in his final seasons, had voted 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 shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated.

"When you're more tired, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are feeling 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."