π Share this article Andy Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Desired Results with Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership concluded 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 exceptionally tough," Murray said 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." Reflecting on the Experience Upon reflection, Murray stated that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire with an injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, 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 recalled. "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 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 shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number oneβa moment he described as "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing 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 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 vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My view is that's what players are feeling 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 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership concluded 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 exceptionally tough," Murray said 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." Reflecting on the Experience Upon reflection, Murray stated that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire with an injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, 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 recalled. "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 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 shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number oneβa moment he described as "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing 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 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 vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My view is that's what players are feeling 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."