🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 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 guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the collaboration concluded 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 Australian Open in 2025 and several additional tournaments. "It's a job coaching 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 extremely challenging," Murray remarked in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Stint Looking back, Murray expressed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered early exits 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 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 came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Challenging Start and Playing 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of discussion 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, believing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to 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 psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more exhausted, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My view 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic secured 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 guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his playing career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, entered Djokovic's staff last November, but the collaboration concluded 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 Australian Open in 2025 and several additional tournaments. "It's a job coaching 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 extremely challenging," Murray remarked in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Assessing the Stint Looking back, Murray expressed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered early exits 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 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 came away wiser about what coaching entails." A Challenging Start and Playing 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 disappoint his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray said he "would have taken more breaks" to savour his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the current tennis calendar, a topic of discussion 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, believing the increased time on the road would be detrimental to 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 psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more exhausted, you're more susceptible to pain and discomfort. My view 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 quantity of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."