🔗 Share this article Murray Admits He Fell Short of the Wanted Outcomes for Djokovic Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have hoped for" during his six-month tenure guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership dissolved 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 2025 Australian Open 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 anticipation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Period Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was a shame what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play extraordinary 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Challenging 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 endured calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his later years, had voted against 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 mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive 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 demanding than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."
Novak Djokovic claimed 25 victories out of 36 matches against his longstanding competitor Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have hoped for" during his six-month tenure guiding his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who concluded his illustrious career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's staff last November, but the partnership dissolved 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 2025 Australian Open 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 anticipation was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is incredibly rigorous." Looking Back at the Period Looking back, Murray conveyed that he is pleased he took on the role. "It's an incredible experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was had to pull out injured from his match against Alexander Zverev. Subsequently, upon his comeback, Djokovic experienced first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was a shame what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play extraordinary 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves." A Challenging 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 endured calf cramps so as not to let down his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "humiliating." Reflecting on his own remarkable playing career, Murray reflected he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals. Opinion About the Tennis Schedule The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of debate among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his later years, had voted against 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 mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive 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 demanding than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the amount of time that players are away on the road that's actually an issue."