🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably didn't get the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership dissolved 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 2025 Australian Open 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 exceptionally tough," 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." Looking Back at the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "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 gained valuable insight about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also recounted an story 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his later years, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to 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 worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained. "When you're more tired, 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 taxing than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 encounters against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably didn't get the results I would have wanted" during his six-month tenure coaching his past rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership dissolved 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 2025 Australian Open 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 exceptionally tough," 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." Looking Back at the Period In retrospect, Murray conveyed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered early exits in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated 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 extraordinary tennis in that tournament," Murray said. "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 gained valuable insight about what coaching entails." A Demanding Start and Career Reflections Murray also recounted an story 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the current tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was hindered by injuries in his later years, had opposed increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to 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 worn out mentally than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray explained. "When you're more tired, 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 taxing than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."