Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Outcomes with Djokovic

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

Murray, who ended his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership dissolved 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 Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of other tournaments.

"The role involves 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 challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense."

Reflecting on the Period

In retrospect, Murray stated that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented.

During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his match against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in 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 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 Challenging Start and Career Reflections

Murray also recounted 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 "embarrassing."

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

Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar

The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern 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, 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 fatigued and psychologically drained 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 sensing 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."