Murray dreams of playing again against Nadal and Djokovic
Andy Murray admitted this Saturday that he dreams of being able to play on the big stage again against Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Speaking ahead of the season-opening Brisbane International, the 36-year-old said he misses the days when he regularly met Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer at the end of major tournaments.
Murray was on par with the big three for a decade, between 2006 and 2016, before a series of injuries kept him away from the courts and caused his ranking to plummet. While the others won title after title, the Scot, now 36, had to fight his way back, and his career never reached the heights it had previously enjoyed.
The last time he met Nadal was in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters 1000 in 2016 and, although he played Djokovic at the Madrid Masters 1000 last year, he had not met him since 2017. “Obviously I would love to have the opportunity to face them again, ideally in the latter stages of big tournaments,” Murray said.
“That’s something that I obviously missed, that feeling, I didn’t really have that opportunity. If I get the opportunity to train with them, I always enjoy it a lot. It reminds me good memories, but ideally I would like to do it during tournaments, not during the first rounds.”
Murray trained with Nadal in Brisbane, as the Spaniard makes his return after almost 12 months out due to injury. He said Nadal was moving well and showing no signs of the hip injury that forced him off the tour after the 2023 Australian Open.
Murray also said Nadal appeared to have made only minor changes to his game during his time away. “His second serve is definitely harder than the one he had early in his career,” Murray said.
“But yeah, the rest of the game, unless there’s a physical problem, there’s no real reason for him to make huge changes. When he’s fit and healthy, it’s that style game that worked very, very well for him, looking for his forehand, trying to dominate with that shot. If he wants to be successful in the future, that’s what he should be looking to do. That’s how he tried to play today.”
In the first round, Murray faces second-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in a repeat of the 2013 Brisbane International final, which Murray won in two tight sets. Dimitrov won their last meeting at the 2023 US Open. “I have to play very well, certainly a lot better than there, if I want to get through this,” Murray said.
2023-12-30 07:48:56
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