ANDY MURRAY has revealed that his first day as Novak Djokovic’s coach did not go to plan – after cramp left him in agony.
The two-time Wimbledon champion retired from tennis after competing at the 2024 Olympics.
But Murray did not completely step away from the sport because he was confirmed as Djokovic’s coach in November 2024.
And the Scotsman, 38, has admitted that the opening 24 hours in his new role could not have gone worse.
Murray, speaking on The Tennis Podcast, said: “After the tennis session, his physical trainer was like, ‘Novak is going for a long slow run in the park, would you mind joining him’.
“I was like ‘oh my god’. I didn’t run since I was like 25. On the court I did, but I never did as part of my training.
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“I was like, ‘it is my first day on the job, I can’t say no, I’m not doing this’. I was like, ‘yeah, no worries’.
“Bear in mind I had not been staying in great shape since I finished. I’d been doing a bit but not loads. I told them that, and they said, ‘it’s fine, it will be a gentle run’.
“It was about 50 minutes he was running for in a park. There were a few hills in there, a very slow pace.
“After about four or five minutes my left calf cramped. I was like ‘oh no’, but I can’t say anything because this is embarrassing.
“I finished and completed the 50 minutes. I was in so much pain. When I finished I said to his team, ‘you need to help me out here’.
“I felt like I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to show to him this is someone I’ve been competing against for such a long time and after five minutes he’s struggling training with me.
“I did tough it out, but it was a pretty embarrassing moment for me.
“I don’t know what happened. Whether I had not run for a while, whether I was dehydrated or if it was nerves. It was so slow, it was embarrassing.”
Murray’s spell as Djokovic’s coach only lasted six months as they parted ways in May.
The Serbian, 38, reached the last four of the Australian Open, before being forced to pull out through injury, and lost in the Miami Open final.
Djokovic was also eliminated in the first round of four of his next five tournaments.
But Murray has no regrets over his decision to work with his former long-time rival.
He added: “I look back on it and I’m glad that I did it. It is an amazing experience that I’ve had.
“I’ve learned a bit. Obviously, it didn’t last that long. I put everything into it that I had, I tried my hardest to help him.
“After the injury, it was certainly a difficult few months for him and I think for the team and all of us.
“I was disappointed we didn’t get the results I would have like for him, but I learned a lot about what coaching is.
“Because it was throwing yourself in the deep end, you find out about your strengths and weaknesses as a coach and things you maybe need to work on.”
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