🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the arrangement 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 2025 Australian Open and three 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 assumption 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 extremely demanding." Assessing the Experience Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is glad he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his return, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate 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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching is." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked 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 called "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Views on the Tennis Calendar The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his final seasons, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players. "I don't think there's anything that indicates players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and mentally more fatigued 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 belief is that's what players are feeling 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the arrangement 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 2025 Australian Open and three 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 assumption 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 extremely demanding." Assessing the Experience Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is glad he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his return, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate 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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching is." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked 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 called "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Views on the Tennis Calendar The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his final seasons, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would be detrimental to players. "I don't think there's anything that indicates players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and mentally more fatigued 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 belief is that's what players are feeling 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."