🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 matches against his fierce competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration dissolved after only half a year. In his first-ever 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 anticipation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Period Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced opening-round defeats 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 extraordinary 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 let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also recounted an incident 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "humiliating." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Views on the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained. "When you're more tired, you're more sensitive 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 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 victories out of 36 matches against his fierce competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration dissolved after only half a year. In his first-ever 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 anticipation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Period Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced opening-round defeats 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 extraordinary 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 let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also recounted an incident 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "humiliating." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Views on the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained. "When you're more tired, you're more sensitive 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 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."