🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Outcomes with Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year. In his maiden position as a coach, 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 expectation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Experience In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in 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 noted. "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 entails." An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections Murray also recounted an story 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 labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "could have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was plagued 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 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 explained. "When you're more exhausted, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My view is that's what players are experiencing 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."
Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year. In his maiden position as a coach, 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 expectation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Experience In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in 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 noted. "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 entails." An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections Murray also recounted an story 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 labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray said he "could have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was plagued 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 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 explained. "When you're more exhausted, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My view is that's what players are experiencing 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."