🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 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 immensely difficult," Murray remarked in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Period Looking back, Murray stated that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play extraordinary 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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I learned a lot about what coaching entails." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed an story from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He endured calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "could have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his later years, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would negatively impact 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 sensitive 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 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."
Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 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 immensely difficult," Murray remarked in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Period Looking back, Murray stated that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play extraordinary 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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I learned a lot about what coaching entails." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed an story from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He endured calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "could have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his later years, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would negatively impact 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 sensitive 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 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."