🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Wanted Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably didn't get the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year. In his maiden position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered 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 assumption was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Assessing the Experience Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced early exits 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 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 disheartened. 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 incident 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 described as "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Views on the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing 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 tired 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 feeling is that's what players are experiencing 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably didn't get the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure coaching his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership ended after only half a year. In his maiden position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered 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 assumption was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Assessing the Experience Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced early exits 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 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 disheartened. 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 incident 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 described as "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Views on the Tennis Calendar The conversation shifted to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing 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 tired 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 feeling is that's what players are experiencing 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."