"I would coach again but probably not right now. I've had a few opportunities to coach" - Andy Murray poised for return to coaching in future after stint with Djokovic

Andy Murray has already stepped into the world of coaching. He spent a fascinating six months with Novak Djokovic before ending their partnership back in 2025. The three-time Grand Slam champion has not stepped back into that realm since that gig but is open to the idea of making a return, even confirming that a 'few opportunities' have cropped up.

Murray's short stint with the 38-year-old was a hugely eye-opening period for him, even if he was unable to transfer any information over. "Djokovic probably learned nothing [from me]," Murray joked in an interview with Sky Sports. "No, I learned a lot and honestly, I would coach again but probably not right now. I've had a few opportunities to coach but I don't really want to do loads of travelling right now unless it's with my family."

Murray had faced off against the 24-time Grand Slam champion numerous times on the court. He ended his career winning 11 of the 36 encounters between them, eight coming in finals. He lost five Grand Slam finals to Djokovic in a thrilling rivalry in a time where tennis was dominated by the Big Three.

When making the switch from rival to compatriot, he was already quite knowledgeable on the Djokovic game. "I knew lots about Novak's game. I played against him for years and studied his game. It was interesting to see what his day to day looked like in comparison to what I might have been doing and how those things differ."

He learnt a lot from a communication point of view. "From a coaching perspective it's about how you communicate your message to the player that you're working with and how to listen to them," he said. "I really think that having kids has helped me with that - learning to be more understanding and seeing something from another person's point of view and perspective.

"But I felt I learned that a bit from coaching in how to work in a team. When you're the focal point as a player, all the team are working for you, whereas when you're part of a coaching team you're a small part of that trying to help an individual do the best they can."

It was a great learning experience for the former world number one, seeing his flaws among a highly respected team. "You understand your flaws because you're getting thrown in the deep end working with someone as great as he is so it shows up on some of the things you probably need to improve on as well if you want to be a great coach."

"I think that he can," Murray claimed. Djokovic is tied on 24 with Margaret Court, desperate to sail ahead and have the overall record all to himself. It is one of the big reasons why he is still competing at the highest level, motivated to continue ploughing on for more success. There are obstacles in the way - notably age and the injury concerns which come with that.

Murray noted that when answering the question. "The difficulty is when you get to the age that he's at, if you play too much tennis, you risk injury, or not being fresh for the majors but then if you're not competing enough and your body is not match-hardened and ready to play seven matches across two weeks, it is also very difficult physically."

The preparation has to be spot on, but if it is then the Scot believes that Djokovic could go on to do it. "Last year, he made the semi-finals of all four majors, but definitely had three injuries across those events and that's the balancing act," he admitted. "It has to be perfect preparation with enough match play and enough training, but you could see at the Australian Open with the results that he had, beating Alcaraz last year and beating [Jannik] Sinner this year, that he still has the potential to do it."

In 2016, Murray hit new heights in his tennis career. He won a third Grand Slam title, as second at Wimbledon, while climbing to the top of the ATP Rankings after defeating Djokovic in the final of the ATP Finals.

From then, his tennis career would spiral out of control. He never even got close to reaching those heights again, held back by injuries which cost him on court. He did not give up, continuing to play and compete in all the big events around the world despite the whispers from tennis fans that he should call it a day.

He eventually did in 2024 at the Paris Olympics. He acknowledged that he could have retired earlier, but results were not the motive. "I could have retired four or five years earlier," he stated. "If the only reason why you play a sport is the results - I know it's a results business and everybody wants to win - but I kept playing tennis for as long as I could because I loved it.

"I loved the training, I loved the travelling, I loved the competition, and I could still do that at a really high level but just not at the level I was used to after I had the hip operation so that was hard mentally, but I continued to play because I loved it and I know that at the end - and this is why I don't think I miss the sport that much or have tons of regrets - is because I left when I was ready to and my body was telling me it was time."

While he enjoyed his time on court, he is very much relieved to be done with it. "I'm really happy about that because people ask me that question and are really surprised and disappointed that I don't miss it.

It was not the end to his tennis career that he would have hoped for, but there is much on the horizon to look forward to. "I think that is what you want as an athlete. If you're coming away from the sport and spending four or five years really struggling with that end of your career, then it's not ideal. But I've got lots to look forward to in the future with four amazing kids and a family that I love spending time with. I'm very proud of what I managed to achieve in a very difficult era. I got to play against the three best male tennis players of all time. It was special times."

One of those things is golf, a hobby Murray has picked up since retiring. He has competed in competitions and updated his progress on social media. He will now have more chance to play with his older brother, Jamie, after he announced his retirement. Currently, Murray believes that he is the better golfer, but that could swiftly change. "Right now, it's me," he said. "He was a very good golfer when he was 15, 16, but now that he's finished I'd imagine he will get good quite quickly again, so maybe in six months or so it will be tough."