🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration dissolved after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and three 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 exceptionally tough," Murray remarked in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Stint Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is glad he accepted 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 had to pull out due to injury from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, 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 ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "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 disheartened. 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 anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was asked 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 "humiliating." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "could have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was hindered 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 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 fatigued and psychologically drained 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 amount of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration dissolved after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and three 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 exceptionally tough," Murray remarked in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Stint Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is glad he accepted 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 had to pull out due to injury from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, 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 ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "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 disheartened. 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 anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was asked 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 "humiliating." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "could have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was hindered 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 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 fatigued and psychologically drained 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 amount of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."