🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of 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 expectation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray remarked in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Period Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out due to injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats 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 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 disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves." 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 experienced calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, 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 weary and worn out mentally 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 feeling 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, joined Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of 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 expectation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray remarked in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Period Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out due to injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats 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 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 disappointed. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves." 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 experienced calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "should have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, 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 weary and worn out mentally 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 feeling 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."