🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the arrangement ended after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of other tournaments. "You're working with 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 extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint Upon reflection, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his return, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing 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 sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray noted. "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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed 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 "awkward." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his latter career, 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 mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more tired, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the arrangement ended after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of other tournaments. "You're working with 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 extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint Upon reflection, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his return, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing 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 sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray noted. "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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed 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 "awkward." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his latter career, 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 mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more tired, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."