Andy Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Results for Djokovic

Andy Murray has stated that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his six-month tenure mentoring his past rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who finalized his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's coaching setup last November, but the collaboration ended after only half a year.

In his debut 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.

"You're working with not only one of the best tennis players but one of the best athletes of all time, so my anticipation was that it was going to be immensely difficult," Murray remarked 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 incredibly rigorous."

Assessing the Period

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

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

Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling 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 recalled.

"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 gained valuable insight about what coaching involves."

A Challenging Start and Career Reflections

Murray also recounted an incident 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 fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he called "humiliating."

Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.

Views on the Tennis Calendar

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

Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his final seasons, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing 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 commented.

"When you're more exhausted, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are feeling 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 actually an issue."