🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have hoped for" during his brief tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership concluded after only half a year. In his maiden position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray worked 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 extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Period Looking back, Murray expressed that he is glad he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out due to injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling 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 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 learned a lot about what coaching is." A Challenging Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an story from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "humiliating." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary 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 susceptible to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are sensing 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 claimed 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has stated that he "probably fell short of the results I would have hoped for" during his brief tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the partnership concluded after only half a year. In his maiden position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray worked 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 extremely challenging," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Period Looking back, Murray expressed that he is glad he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out due to injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling 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 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 learned a lot about what coaching is." A Challenging Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an story from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "humiliating." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his latter career, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, saying the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary 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 susceptible to pain and discomfort. My belief is that's what players are sensing 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."