Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Wanted Results with Djokovic

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

Murray, who finalized his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership ended 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 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 anticipation was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview.

He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding."

Looking Back at the Period

Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy 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 reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev.

Following that, 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray said.

"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 gained valuable insight about what coaching involves."

A Demanding Start and Career Reflections

Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "embarrassing."

Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.

Opinion About the Tennis Calendar

The conversation moved onto the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players.

Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm players.

"I don't think there's anything that shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated.

"When you're more tired, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are experiencing 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."