Andy Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Results for Djokovic

Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who ended his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, joined Djokovic's staff last November, but the arrangement dissolved after only half a year.

In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray teamed up with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and three 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 exceptionally tough," Murray remarked in an interview.

He added, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Reflecting on the Stint

Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is glad he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented.

During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out due to injury from his match against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic suffered early exits 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 noted.

"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 let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching involves."

An Intimidating Start and Playing 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 called "humiliating."

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

Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar

The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players.

Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against 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 shows players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained.

"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 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."