Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Results with Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who ended his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's staff last November, but the arrangement dissolved after only half a year.

In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and a handful of 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 assumption was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray noted in an interview.

He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Assessing the Stint

In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented.

During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out with an injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev.

Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

"It was a shame 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 disappointed. 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 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 said he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs.

Perspective Regarding the Tennis Tour

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

Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his final seasons, had voted against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing 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 stated.

"When you're more exhausted, you're more susceptible 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 truly an issue."