🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Wanted Results with Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his six-month tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration dissolved 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 2025 Australian Open 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 anticipation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling 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 noted. "After the injury, it was certainly a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate 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, arguing the increased time on the road would negatively impact 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 explained. "When you're more exhausted, you're more susceptible 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 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 claimed 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his six-month tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration dissolved 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 2025 Australian Open 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 anticipation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Stint In retrospect, Murray expressed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling 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 noted. "After the injury, it was certainly a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate 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, arguing the increased time on the road would negatively impact 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 explained. "When you're more exhausted, you're more susceptible 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 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."