🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Targeted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended 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 first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered 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 assumption was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Looking Back at the Period Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced first-round losses 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 undoubtedly 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his final seasons, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that indicates 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 exhausted, you're more sensitive 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."
Novak Djokovic secured 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably failed to achieve the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who ended 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 first-ever position as a coach, the 38-year-old Murray partnered 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 assumption was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray noted in an interview. He added, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is extremely demanding." Looking Back at the Period Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he commented. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced first-round losses 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 undoubtedly 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Demanding Start and Playing Reflections Murray also shared 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 let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray admitted he "would have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was plagued by injuries in his final seasons, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing the increased time on the road would harm players. "I don't think there's anything that indicates 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 exhausted, you're more sensitive 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."