Andy Murray Admits He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Outcomes for Djokovic
Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his short-lived tenure guiding his past rival, Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who ended his professional career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, joined Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration concluded after only half a year.
In his first-ever coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and a handful of 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 immensely difficult," Murray said in an interview.
He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a challenging character in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding."
Looking Back at the Period
Looking back, Murray stated that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an unforgettable experience that I've had," he observed.
During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev.
Subsequently, upon his return, Djokovic suffered first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before losing 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 undoubtedly 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 Demanding Start and Playing Reflections
Murray also shared an anecdote 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 fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he described as "embarrassing."
Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.
Views on the Tennis Calendar
The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of discussion among top players.
Murray, who was affected by injuries in his final seasons, had been against 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 suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more fatigued and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented.
"When you're more fatigued, 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 demanding than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the volume of time that players are away on the road that's truly an issue."