Murray breaks down role as Djokovic coach: “I tried to explain what it’s like to play against him”

Speaking on the Sporting Misadventures podcast, Murray also says he would loved to see what it was like to coach Roger Federer

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open 2025.

Zuma / Psnewz

Simon Cambers

February 12, 2025

For many coaches, a big part of the job is scouting opponents, ensuring that they’re fully prepared for the challenge ahead, that nothing comes as a surprise.

For Andy Murray, when he began his coaching career alongside Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open last month, he had those conversations with the Serb, his long-time rival, discussing what others may be looking to exploit in his game.

But it seems Murray was focusing more on what others experience when they are the other side of the net from the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“It wasn’t so much ‘this is what you did wrong’, it was more like ‘this is what you do right’,” Murray said in a guest slot on the Sporting Misadventures podcast presented by six-time Olympic gold medalist Chris Hoy and journalist and author Matt Majendie. “(It was) ‘when I was playing against you, you were doing this, it was so hard to play against for these reasons’.

“I was more like trying to emphasise the positives of when he’s playing well, this is what it looks like and this is what it feels like for the player down the other end. As a player you never know the speed of your own shot, the speed of your ball, what impact it’s having on the guy down the other end, what are they feeling.

“If I (had been) able to hear from Novak or (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal when I was playing against them, ‘oh I hate it when you do this to me or when you hit this shot’, that would have been a huge, huge help to me to know that.”

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, ATP Finals 2016 — Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic

“I do think I have a unique perspective ON NOVAK’S GAME”

Murray readily admits his inexperience as a coach and that he “spent too much time in my room watching tennis videos, over-analysing”. But the former world No 1 said being on the court with Djokovic for so many years gave him an angle others may not have.

“I do think it’s a unique perspective I have on Novak’s game that I’m able to make up for some of those weaknesses and flaws that I would have (as an inexperienced coach) because I’ve competed against him in the biggest matches on the biggest stages over a 10-12 year period,” he said.

“I’ve studied his game a lot but also experienced what It’s like to play against him. We had those conversations. Hopefully it was beneficial for him. I know if I was a player I would have found that helpful.”

Murray: “I would like to have coached Roger”

According to The Times, Murray and Djokovic are to continue working together through Wimbledon, though the extent of the Scot’s involvement is not known.

Murray was also asked which one of the Big Three he would have liked to have coached, had they all asked him at the same time, pre-supposing they were all at the same level. Murray started by explaining how good each of them would have been, before coming out with a name: Federer.

“It doesn’t really matter who’s coaching those guys providing you’re giving them clear direction,” because they’re so great,” he said. “Lots of people can watch a tennis player and go, this is the strategy, anyone who has good tennis knowledge can do that, but not all of their players can execute what you’re asking them to do.

“That, for me, was the thing that was amazing with Novak. In a couple of the matches, I gave him the strategy I thought would work and be beneficial and the way he’s able to execute that and do what is being asked of him, because of his technical abilities, the way he strikes the ball, the way he moves on the court, and just has no weaknesses really…is that they’re able to execute a game plan better than anyone else because they’re so skilful.

“But I think coaching Roger would have been fun because he looks like it’s so natural – I don’t like (saying that because) he works extremely hard – but he just had all of the shots. You would have been able to ask him to do something and he would have been able to do it.”