š Share this article Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Targeted Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his first-ever 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. "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 extremely challenging," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Reflecting on the Stint In retrospect, Murray stated that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled. "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 came away wiser about what coaching is." A Challenging Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number oneāa moment he called "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Opinion About 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 later years, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying 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 commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."
Novak Djokovic secured 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his first-ever 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. "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 extremely challenging," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Reflecting on the Stint In retrospect, Murray stated that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled. "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 came away wiser about what coaching is." A Challenging Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He experienced calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number oneāa moment he called "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Opinion About 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 later years, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying 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 commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."