🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Results with Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration 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. "It's a job 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 noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was a shame what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "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 Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed 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 called "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against 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 indicates 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 commented. "When you're more exhausted, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."
Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration 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. "It's a job 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 noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was a shame what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "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 Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed 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 called "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation moved onto the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against 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 indicates 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 commented. "When you're more exhausted, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."