Andy Murray has opened up about the challenging aspects of his coaching partnership with Novak Djokovic, as the British tennis legend prepares to return to Wimbledon in a new role. Murray, who retired from professional tennis after the 2024 Paris Olympics, has accepted a coaching position with Jack Draper for the grass-court season.
Murray Reflects on Djokovic Partnership
The three-time Grand Slam champion spent six months working with his former rival Djokovic, a partnership that ended last May. Murray admitted that while watching matches was not difficult, the pre-match preparations were the "hard" part.
"I didn't find it weird when I was watching matches with Novak. The build-up to the matches and stuff I found quite hard. Because you need to get your communication with the player right. And to make sure that everything is under control," Murray told The Sun.
He elaborated: "Making sure you've got the right courts booked, practice partners, balls, rackets, strategy. All of those sorts of things. You want that to go smoothly. And then once the player is out on the court, I found it quite easy."
New Role with Jack Draper
Murray recently joined Draper's team for the grass season. The former world No. 4 has been sidelined by injuries over the past year and has dropped outside the top 100. Murray is expected to be in his corner for grass events in Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
Despite spending years competing on Centre Court, Murray does not think it will be strange to sit in the players' box at SW19 this summer. He enjoyed being in the box during Djokovic's matches, particularly at the 2025 Australian Open, where he was courtside as Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz.
"I found the pre-match stuff harder than sitting in the box watching and observing a tennis match and trying to be objective about it. I didn't feel like I got too emotionally invested in the matches where I couldn't think. I didn't find it that weird watching. To be honest, I quite liked that part of it," he added.
Wimbledon Return Awaits
Murray has not returned to Wimbledon since playing his final match alongside his brother, Jamie, in doubles two years ago. His partnership with Djokovic ended before he could sit in the coach's corner on Centre Court. However, that could change this summer thanks to his new stint with Draper.
Draper, currently ranked 113th in the world, has not played a match since the Barcelona Open in April. He is hoping to make a comeback at the ATP 250 event in Eastbourne next week before heading to the All England Club. Draper has never advanced beyond the second round at Wimbledon, but with two-time champion Murray on his side, that could change.
