Andy Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Desired Results with Djokovic

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 ended his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership concluded after only half a year.

In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 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 anticipation was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray noted 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."

Reflecting on the Stint

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

During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his match 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 unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play sensational 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 learned a lot about what coaching is."

A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "awkward."

Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs.

Views on the Tennis Calendar

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

Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would harm players.

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

"When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."