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

Andy Murray has commented that he "probably didn't get the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year.

In his first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray teamed up 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 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 approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Assessing the Experience

Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed.

During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev.

Following that, upon his return, Djokovic experienced opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

"It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled.

"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."

A Challenging Start and Career Reflections

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

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

Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar

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

Murray, who was affected 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 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 fatigued and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated.

"When you're more tired, you're more vulnerable 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 truly an issue."