Andy Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Desired Results with Djokovic

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

Murray, who ended his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration dissolved after only half a year.

In his maiden position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray teamed up with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and several additional tournaments.

"You're working with 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 immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview.

He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense."

Looking Back at the Experience

Looking back, Murray expressed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed.

During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated 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 undoubtedly 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 Challenging Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also shared an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "embarrassing."

Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray admitted he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories.

Opinion About the Tennis Calendar

The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players.

Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing 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 stated.

"When you're more exhausted, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are feeling now, just being away for longer.

"I don't think the matches are so much more grueling than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."