Andy Murray won three Grand Slams, but could have won many more in another era…
Unfortunately for Murray, he was competing alongside the ‘big three’ of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
Contesting 11 Grand Slam finals in total, Murray lost eight, falling short against Federer twice, and Djokovic six times.
It has long been suggested that the Brit could have won double-digit Grand Slams had he been competing against a weaker field, but is that a fair assessment?
Would you consider Andy Murray a top 10 player of all time?
Back in 2019, Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill predicted how many Slams Murray would have won if he had been born in a different era.
Darren Cahill thought Andy Murray could have won 12+ Grand Slams in another era
Appearing as a guest on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast in 2019, Cahill shared his thoughts on Murray and the ‘big three’.
“I think there is a bunch of young players coming through who are going to win Majors over the next five or ten years. But they still need Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] to retire,” he said.
“Novak [Djokovic], not so much because he is a little bit younger. For Rafa and Roger to still be doing what they are doing at their age, we are in a golden age. I don’t think we’ve ever seen this before, and we’ll never see it again.
“The dominance these guys have had over the last 10 or 15 years has been remarkable.
“For Novak to be able to rip away 15 of those Majors has been remarkable as well.
“And when you throw in Andy Murray, who in any different era he may have won 12 or 14 Grand Slams.
“So the fact that he’s won three, done it the hard way, won a couple of Olympic Gold medals, full credit to him because it’s been a very stingy era for everyone but Murray, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.”
Murray managed to win multiple Grand Slam titles during the era of the ‘big three’, enjoying so much success that some included him in a new ‘big four’.
However, as Murray finished on the same number of major titles as Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, who didn’t match the quartet elsewhere on tour, it seemed unfair to add one and not the other to the debate.
Comparing the ‘big three’, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka
| Player | Grand Slams | Masters 1000 titles | Weeks at number 1 | ATP Finals titles | ATP Titles |
| Novak Djokovic | 24 | 40 | 428 | 7 | 101 |
| Rafael Nadal | 22 | 36 | 209 | – | 92 |
| Roger Federer | 20 | 28 | 310 | 6 | 103 |
| Andy Murray | 3 | 14 | 41 | 1 | 46 |
| Stan Wawrinka | 3 | 1 | – | – | 16 |
Who is the greatest male tennis player of all time?
We’ll never know how many Grand Slams Murray would have won if he’d been born into a different era, but it’s certainly interesting to think about.
Will Andy Murray win a Grand Slam as a coach?
Murray began his coaching career in 2025, alongside his former rival, Djokovic.
Their partnership was short-lived, however, as they split during the clay-court season.
Playing just the one Grand Slam with Murray as his coach, Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Australian Open before retiring with an injury against Alexander Zverev.
The Brit hasn’t shown a willingness to rush back into coaching, although he hasn’t ruled out a return in the future.
Several players would no doubt relish the opportunity to work alongside the three-time Grand Slam champion.
Murray’s fellow Brits, Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, seem like obvious choices, although he may prefer to work with a younger player.
Who would you like to see Andy Murray coach next?
The likes of Henry Searle, Mika Stojsavljevic, and Hannah Klugman have all impressed at the junior level and look set to achieve great things on the ATP and WTA Tours over the coming years.
It remains to be seen if Murray will work with any of the above in the future…
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
