🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Targeted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his short-lived tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious 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 maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and several additional 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 extremely challenging," Murray remarked in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Reflecting on the Period Looking back, Murray expressed that he is glad he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered 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 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 entails." An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked 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 successful playing career, Murray reflected he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of discussion 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, believing the increased time on the road would harm 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 psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more tired, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 actually an issue."
Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 meetings against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has revealed that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his short-lived tenure guiding his one-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious 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 maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray worked with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and several additional 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 extremely challenging," Murray remarked in an interview. He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he approaches his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Reflecting on the Period Looking back, Murray expressed that he is glad he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Afterwards, upon his comeback, Djokovic suffered 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 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 entails." An Intimidating Start and Career Reflections Murray also disclosed an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked 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 successful playing career, Murray reflected he "would have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic triumphs. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Schedule The conversation turned to the current tennis calendar, a topic of discussion 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, believing the increased time on the road would harm 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 psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more tired, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My belief 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 actually an issue."