🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 matches against his long-time rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably didn't get the results I would have hoped for" during his six-month tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement 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 2025 Australian Open and three other tournaments. "You're working with 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 extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play extraordinary 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident 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 fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Views on the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had been against 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 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 commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive 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 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 victories out of 36 matches against his long-time rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably didn't get the results I would have hoped for" during his six-month tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement 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 2025 Australian Open and three other tournaments. "You're working with 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 extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play extraordinary 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared an incident 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 fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Views on the Tennis Tour The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had been against 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 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 commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive 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 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."