Andy Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Outcomes with Djokovic

Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have hoped for" during his brief tenure mentoring his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who concluded his playing career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership dissolved after only half a year.

In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered 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 assumption was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview.

He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense."

Reflecting on the Experience

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

During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire with an injury from his match against Alexander Zverev.

Afterwards, 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 regrettable 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 disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching involves."

An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections

Murray also shared an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told 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 labeled "awkward."

Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray admitted he "could have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic victories.

Views on the Tennis Calendar

The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players.

Murray, who was plagued 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 indicates players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained.

"When you're more fatigued, you're more susceptible 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."