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Murray Reflects on Djokovic Coaching Stint

An unexpected coaching partnership between tennis legends **Andy Murray** and **Novak Djokovic** earlier this year ended in May. Now, **Murray** is opening up about the experience and his feelings about coaching.

Murray’s Coaching Experience: A Unique Opportunity

**Djokovic** expressed gratitude to **Murray** via social media after their coaching arrangement concluded ahead of the French Open. The pair joined forces prior to the Australian Open, where **Djokovic** advanced to the semi-finals before an injury forced him to retire.

During a golf outing with his brother **Jamie Murray**, and golfer **Ian Poulter** and his son **Luke Poulter**, **Andy Murray** shared his thoughts on coaching **Djokovic**. As of 2023, 27% of coaches surveyed reported feeling stressed always or often (Journal of Applied Sport Psychology).

Discussing the experience, **Murray** said he initially enjoyed coaching. “Initially I did. I think I will enjoy it more in the future,” he remarked on The Postman.

According to **Murray**, “It was a good opportunity for me, I was not planning on going into coaching because I wanted to be at home.”

He continued, “But it was also a pretty unique opportunity to go and do that with him and spend time around him and try and learn a bit from him as well.”

**Murray** added, “If I said no now I wouldn’t have got a chance in a couple of years. He might be finished. So I am glad I did it but I didn’t love it. I wouldn’t go back into doing it straight away.”

From Rivals to Partners

**Murray** transitioned into coaching quickly, partnering with **Djokovic** in November shortly after retiring in August. The transition saw them move from fierce competitors to collaborators, with **Murray** embracing his brief stint as **Djokovic’s** coach.

When asked why he didn’t love coaching, **Murray** explained, “The thing that was different and when I was playing I didn’t appreciate as much is how much the team does away from the practice court.”

He added, “We are spending most of our day talking about **Novak** and how he’s feeling, how he’s playing, what should he be doing tomorrow, what he should be working on, is he eating and sleeping well and all of the communication around it.”

He continued by saying, “So I enjoyed learning about that side of things and also communicating. His team are all from different backgrounds and countries and cultures.”

**Murray** concluded, “Having to communicate with them I quite enjoyed. I probably wasn’t amazing at it because it was new to me but I did quite like that.”

Djokovic’s Wimbledon Journey

While **Murray** evaluates his future endeavors, **Djokovic** remains focused on Wimbledon. He reached the same stage of the French Open before losing to world number one **Jannik Sinner**, with **Djokovic** now into the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

**Djokovic** is set to face **Flavio Cobolli** in his quest for an eighth Wimbledon title and 25th Grand Slam title. If **Djokovic** beats **Cobolli**, a semi-final match against **Sinner** could be next, potentially leading to another final showdown with **Alcaraz**.