Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Outcomes with Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the collaboration 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.

"It's a job 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 noted in an interview.

He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding."

Assessing the Period

Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said.

During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his match against Alexander Zverev.

Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"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 learned a lot about what coaching involves."

A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He endured calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward."

Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic victories.

Opinion About the Tennis Calendar

The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players.

Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his later years, had been against 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 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 exhausted, 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 demanding 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."