🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his fierce rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement concluded after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered 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 assumption was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Experience Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered early exits 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 sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "After the injury, it was undoubtedly 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 gained valuable insight about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the current tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his later years, 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 indicates players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are sensing now, just being away for longer. "I don't think the matches are so much more taxing 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."
Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his fierce rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement concluded after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered 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 assumption was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Experience Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is happy he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered early exits 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 sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "After the injury, it was undoubtedly 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 gained valuable insight about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the current tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his later years, 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 indicates players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are sensing now, just being away for longer. "I don't think the matches are so much more taxing 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."