Andy Murray teamed up with none other than his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic, in late 2024, surprising the tennis world. They kicked off their collaboration on a high note at the 2025 Australian Open, which also saw the Serb defeating Carlos Alcaraz. But that victory remained one of the lone highlights of their partnership.

The unfortunate injury Djokovic had during the Australian Open semi-final really changed things, and the coaching partnership just never bounced back from it. As reported by the BBC, Murray has since shared his candid reflections, expressing regret but also the lessons he learned from the whole experience.

“It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play ridiculous tennis in that tournament,” Murray stated. “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 disappointed. Probably didn’t get the results I would have liked for him. But I learned a lot about what coaching is.”

He entered the role knowing he was working with one of the best athletes of all time and found the challenge as demanding as anticipated, given Djokovic’s famously intense approach to the sport. Murray still sees the whole experience in a positive light, considering it an amazing journey that taught him some really valuable lessons about coaching. But the former British star also shared his thoughts on his first session with the Serb.

Andy Murray on a particular moment when coaching Novak Djokovic

Andy Murray recently opened up about his rather uncomfortable first day stepping into the role of Novak Djokovic’s coach. It’s a story that really shows the behind-the-scenes of elite sports and highlights a common feeling of vulnerability a lot of veteran players can relate to.

“But 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,” Murray stated. At that moment, his focus shifted away from the pain to how it might be perceived.

He added, “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, embarrassing moment for me.”

Their first match together didn’t go as smoothly as they might have hoped. Djokovic seemed frustrated and didn’t really shine against a lower-ranked opponent in that initial challenge. Even with the awkward start, there were always moments when the fans could see signs of mutual respect between the two legends.