🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 25 victories out of 36 matches against his fierce competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership dissolved after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and a handful of other 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 anticipation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Stint Looking back, Murray expressed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an story from his first day on the job, when he was invited 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 labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray admitted he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his later years, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more fatigued, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are sensing now, just being away for longer. "I don't think the matches are so much more grueling than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."
Novak Djokovic secured 25 victories out of 36 matches against his fierce competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership dissolved after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and a handful of other 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 anticipation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Stint Looking back, Murray expressed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was regrettable 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an story from his first day on the job, when he was invited 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 labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray admitted he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his later years, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more fatigued, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are sensing now, just being away for longer. "I don't think the matches are so much more grueling than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."