🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Wanted Outcomes with Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his fierce rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year. In his first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open 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 assumption was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Experience Looking back, Murray expressed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable 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 let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day 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, arguing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more tired, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling 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 actually an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his fierce rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year. In his first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open 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 assumption was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Experience Looking back, Murray expressed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable 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 let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day 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, arguing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more tired, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling 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 actually an issue."