Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Desired Results for Djokovic

Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic.

Murray, who finalized his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year.

In his debut coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and a handful of 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 expectation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview.

He added, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous."

Assessing the Stint

Looking back, Murray stated that he is glad he undertook the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said.

During their time together, Djokovic beat 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 experienced opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik.

"It was regrettable what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray said.

"After the injury, it was definitely a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was let down. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I came away wiser about what coaching entails."

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 endured calf cramps so as not to disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward."

Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories.

Views on the Tennis Tour

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

Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his latter career, had been 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 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 stated.

"When you're more tired, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My view 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 volume of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."