🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and several additional 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 remarked in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Reflecting on the Stint Upon reflection, Murray stated that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his return, Djokovic endured 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 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 learned a lot about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "awkward." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern 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, arguing 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 tired and worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more tired, 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 grueling than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 encounters against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year. In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and several additional 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 remarked in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Reflecting on the Stint Upon reflection, Murray stated that he is glad he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his return, Djokovic endured 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 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 learned a lot about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "awkward." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern 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, arguing 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 tired and worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more tired, 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 grueling than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."