When Novak Djokovic announced the addition of Andy Murray to his coaching team in 2024, it almost felt like a fever dream. After years of intense rivalry, the opposition becomes the mentor? Still, the prospect was a tantalizing one, one that unfortunately fizzled out in six months. Nonetheless, the former rivals parted on good terms, as Murray has clearly shown.

Their first collaboration as coach and student, however, began not on the courts but on the running track, where Murray faced a challenge no amount of Grand Slam experience could prepare him for. He recently opened up about going on a run with Djokovic, a seemingly simple task for a former world number one that ended up being far more complicated.

Yet, within minutes, the reality of his post-retirement physical condition clashed with the fitness of his former rival. “I can’t say anything because this is embarrassing after just 4 or 5 minutes. So anyway, I finished; I completed the 50 minutes, but I was in so much pain. I said to his team, ‘Guys, you need to help me out here. I’ve been running for 45 minutes, and my left calf cramped while I was there,'” the former world No. 1 told The Tennis Podcast.

In that moment, his main concern was not the pain but rather the impression he was giving off to his former rival. “And I just felt like I couldn’t stop; I didn’t want to show to him, like, ‘Oh, my god, this is someone I’ve been competing against for such a long time, and after 5 minutes, he’s struggling training with me.’ So I did tough it out, but it was a pretty embarrassing moment for me,” he continued.

This anecdote perfectly foreshadowed the unique and sometimes stilted dynamic that would characterize their brief partnership throughout the 2025 Australian Open.

Their first official match together was described as not exactly the dream debut, with Djokovic appearing frustrated and flat during an early struggle against a lower-ranked opponent. However, despite the awkward start, there were some memorable highlights during Murray’s time as coach.

The highlight reel of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray’s partnership

Novak Djokovic has lauded Andy Murray’s exceptional tennis intelligence and acknowledged the valuable guidance he has offered during competitions. Murray offered a distinctive viewpoint as a former competitor, and in turn the Brit “learned a lot about what coaching is.”

Their partnership reached a high point with Djokovic’s exhilarating 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal triumph against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Australian Open, a match Murray labeled as “one of the best that I’ve seen live.”

The collaboration, in the end, proved to be fleeting. Following the injury that forced Djokovic to withdraw from the Australian Open in the semi-final, both parties mutually agreed to end their coaching relationship in May 2025.

Djokovic acknowledged that the outcomes fell short of their expectations, yet he highlighted that he “enjoyed my time very much” and sensed a deepening of their relationship.