🔗 Share this article Murray Concedes He Didn't Achieve the Wanted Results for Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 wins out of 36 matches against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented 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 illustrious 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 partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and a handful of 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 extremely challenging," Murray remarked in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Stint Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his return, Djokovic experienced 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 ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled. "After the injury, it was definitely 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 gained valuable insight about what coaching entails." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his later years, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing 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 tired and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more exhausted, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are experiencing 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 won 25 wins out of 36 matches against his long-time competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented 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 illustrious 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 partnered with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the 2025 Australian Open and a handful of 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 extremely challenging," Murray remarked in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a demanding individual in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Assessing the Stint Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he observed. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was compelled to withdraw due to injury from his contest against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his return, Djokovic experienced 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 ridiculous tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled. "After the injury, it was definitely 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 gained valuable insight about what coaching entails." An Intimidating Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed an anecdote from his first day on the job, when he was told to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "embarrassing." Reflecting on his own successful playing career, Murray reflected he "should have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Perspective Regarding the Tennis Calendar The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his later years, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, arguing 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 tired and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more exhausted, you're more vulnerable to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are experiencing 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."