Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Wanted Outcomes with Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably didn't get the results I would have hoped for" during his brief tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, joined Djokovic's team last November, but the partnership concluded after only half a year.

In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked 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 expectation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview.

He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Assessing the Period

Looking back, Murray stated that he is pleased he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said.

During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic endured first-round losses 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 ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray noted.

"After the injury, it was definitely 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 entails."

An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections

Murray also shared an story from his first day on the job, when he was invited to join Djokovic on a run. He endured calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating."

Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs.

Opinion About the Tennis Tour

The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players.

Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had voted 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 tired and worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated.

"When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are sensing 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 amount of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."