Andy Murray reflects on coaching Djokovic: ‘It was something I didn’t really feel comfortable with’

In November 2024, Novak Djokovic made the surprising decision to hire Andy Murray as his coach, hoping to draw on the knowledge and experience of his former rival to stay at the top of the tennis world. However, after just six months, that partnership ended—and now the former Scottish star has reflected on the experience.

During a recent interview with The Tennis Mentor, Murray was candid about the challenges he faced during this new chapter alongside Djokovic. “When you’re working with someone at that level, it probably shows your strengths but also your weaknesses as a coach,” he said.

“Something I’d say most ex-players are sort of weak at is the technical side of the game,” Murray noted. “And at times, Novak was looking for a lot of technical feedback. It was something I didn’t really feel comfortable with.”

Murray’s coaching stint with Djokovic began earlier this year with a quarterfinal exit in Brisbane but showed promise at the Australian Open, where Novak reached the semifinals before losing to Alexander Zverev. After some disappointing performances, he achieved his best result under Murray at the Miami Open, where he lost in the final to Jakub Mensik.

However, things soon took a downturn for the Serbian star, with early exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid eventually leading to the end of his partnership with Murray. Curiously, in his first tournament after the split, Djokovic captured his 100th career title at the Geneva Open.

Murray hasn’t given up on coaching

Despite a debut coaching experience that came with unexpected challenges, Andy Murray remains interested in pursuing that role in the future. “I think at some stage I would like to do it again,” he admitted.

The two-time Wimbledon champion went on to explain that next time, he’s looking for a different kind of challenge. “I would probably enjoy working with a younger player and trying to influence them from a younger age,” Andy said. “Try to help any of the British players if they want and it works out.”

Murray’s coaching plans for the future

Well aware of the demands of coaching at the elite level, Murray knows he must prepare thoroughly to meet those expectations. “If I was going to coach again in the future, I’d want to work on and learn from someone who’s very good at that,” he said.

Finally, he revealed that he’s already taken steps in that direction: “Louis Cayer is one of the coaches who I worked with during my career on the technical side and he’s fantastic. He’s someone who I’ve reached out to since my time with Novak to potentially get some coaching for my coaching on that side of things.”