Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have wanted" during his brief tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic.
Murray, who concluded his professional career at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, became part of Djokovic's team last November, but the collaboration 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 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 assumption was that it was going to be extremely challenging," Murray noted in an interview.
He continued, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he tackles his tennis, [it] is highly intense."
Upon reflection, Murray expressed that he is happy he undertook the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he commented.
During their time together, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his contest against Alexander Zverev.
Afterwards, upon his return, Djokovic suffered opening-round defeats in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before being defeated 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 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 learned a lot about what coaching involves."
Murray also recounted an incident from his first day on the job, when he was told 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 stellar playing career, Murray said he "should have taken more breaks" to relish his successes, including after his two Olympic gold medals.
The conversation moved onto the present-day tennis calendar, a topic of debate 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, arguing 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 weary and mentally more fatigued than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray commented.
"When you're more tired, you're more vulnerable 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 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."
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