Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Desired Outcomes for Djokovic
Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure coaching his former rival, Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who ended his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the arrangement concluded after only half a year.
In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and several additional tournaments.
"The role involves coaching not only one of the best tennis players but one of the best athletes of all time, so my expectation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray remarked in an interview.
He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense."
Looking Back at the Stint
In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed.
During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev.
Following that, upon his return, Djokovic experienced 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 recalled.
"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 let down. 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 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing."
Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray admitted he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.
Views on the Tennis Tour
The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players.
Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his final seasons, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would negatively impact 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 commented.
"When you're more fatigued, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 truly an issue."
