Andy Murray's six-word Novak Djokovic admission explains tennis legends' split
Andy Murray's six-word Novak Djokovic admission explains tennis legends' split
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic stunned the tennis world when they announced they would be teaming up to form a player-coach partnership but parted ways after just six months in May
Andy Murray has spoken about why he stopped being Novak Djokovic's coach
(Image: WILLIAM WEST/AFP )
Andy Murray admits he's unsure whether he enjoyed his coaching stint with Novak Djokovic after the two tennis legends split last month.
Having only retired from the sport last summer, Murray stunned the tennis world in November by announcing he had taken on the role of coaching his long-time former rival, Djokovic. The pair, who boast three and 24 Grand Slam titles respectively, teamed up ahead of the Australian Open.
Djokovic reached the semi-finals but was forced to pull out of the tournament injured after losing the first set. The season went on to become even more of a challenge for the Serbian despite Murray's technical and tactical advice.
Djokovic suffered first-round defeats in four out of five tournaments before the pair mutually agreed to end their partnership in May - six months after coming together and just six weeks before Wimbledon. Now, Murray has shared his thoughts on the unique experience during an interview at SEC Armadillo, Glasgow in front of his Scottish fans.
When probed by broadcaster Andrew Cotter about the split, Murray revealed they decided to part ways because he wasn't particularly enjoying his role. Via the Times, Murray said: 'We had a chat on the phone and he asked me if I would consider coaching him, which I wasn't expecting.
"I think it was a pretty unique opportunity. I was really enjoying being at home but I thought I should give it a go and see whether I enjoyed it.'
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Murray paused before giving a telling six-word admission: 'I'm not sure if I did.' It drew laughter from the crowd but wasn't followed up on by Cotter.
Djokovic previously stated that they "couldn't get more out of the partnership on court" and explained their decision to part ways before the French Open last month, saying: "It was mutual, We both wanted to have a call and to speak, so we - actually, we both were on the same page.
Murray didn't necessarily enjoy coaching the Serb
(Image: Getty )
"So it was not, you know, his initiative or my initiative. It was both of us coming together and just saying, you know, I think we should stop here. That's what it was."
Djokovic and Murray might have had an awkward reunion at Roland Garros as they came face-to-face during Rafael Nadal's farewell ceremony. However, the Serb explained that their friendship has not been affected by their unsuccessful player-coach dynamic.
"He did congratulate me [on Geneva], and he said, 'Now that you have a proper coach, you're winning tournaments,'" the Serbian recalled. "I don't know, I didn't take that as a joke! I mean, of course he was joking, but, you know... I think I have said enough, but I will say it again: Andy is just an amazing person.
'For him to join my team and for us to give a shot to this player-coach relationship was really an incredible thing for tennis and for both of us. I was very privileged and honoured. I was enjoying myself very much regardless of the fact that we haven't had maybe the success we both wanted or people expected us to have.
"But I still think that, you know, I have learned things on the court with him, I have enjoyed my conversations with him about tennis, because I still think that he's one of the most brilliant tennis IQ guys out there.
"Whoever he decides to work with next, if and when, you know, that player is going to be lucky because he has definitely a lot to share, a lot of great insights. It just didn't work out between us in terms of results, in terms of what we were hoping for, and that's all there is to it.
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"Personally, I actually enjoyed my time very much with him, and I feel like we have a closer relationship because of our working relationship in the last four, five months."
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