Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray faced off once again as the retired tennis icons returned to the court at the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam. The exhibition event, held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the academy, saw Nadal's doubles partnership with Richard Gasquet claim a 10-0 victory over Murray and Marat Safin.
Nadal's return to action
The Spanish ace, 40, made a brief comeback at the weekend, having hung up his racket in November 2024. Nadal won 22 Grand Slams throughout his career, including 14 triumphs at the French Open. The former world No.1 retired just a few months after British icon Murray, 39, who was part of the sport's Big Four alongside Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal has led a more relaxed life since stepping away from tennis but was recently back among the action at the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam. The exhibition featured several retired stars and pitted Team Rafa against Team Murray.
Team Rafa edges narrow victory
Team Rafa included Carlos Moya, David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet, while Murray relied upon Marat Safin, Dominic Thiem and Fabio Fognini. The event was generally a close contest, as Nadal's side earned a narrow 4-3 victory overall, but the Spaniard's partnership with Gasquet claimed an eye-catching 10-0 win over Murray and Safin.
At the end of the event, Nadal light-heartedly referenced Murray's passion for golf in retirement. He quipped: "Perhaps next time we can hold a golf event, so you'll have a chance. I know you're practising a lot, quite a bit more than I am, so perhaps the next Nadal Academy Slam can be golf."
Murray secures wins despite whitewash
Despite the one-sided scoreline, three-time major winner Murray did secure victories alongside Thiem and Fognini in two other matches against Nadal, who was partnered with Ferrer and Moya, respectively. His win alongside Fognini allowed Team Murray to level the overall scoreline to 3-3 before the same duo lost a 7-5 decider to Nadal and Moya.
Outlining his reasons for playing doubles matches in his most significant return to tennis, Nadal told Movistar+: "Doubles is more dynamic and more fun. This way, nobody had to prepare in any special way. It's a format everyone can play without any specific preparation."
The event was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Rafa Nadal Academy and there were more than 2,000 fans in attendance, eager to see their retired idols in action. "To have come this far and built this place from scratch is a source of great satisfaction for us," Nadal said of his academy. "An enormous amount of work from so many people has gone into it. To be able to celebrate the 10th anniversary and be fortunate enough to have all these great champions from the history of our sport with us is, I think, very special."
Sharing his appreciation, Murray said: "Thank you all for the atmosphere today, and thank you, Rafa, for inviting me. You have an incredible place here, all the children are incredibly fortunate to train somewhere like this."
Full results from the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam: Moya/Gasquet d. Safin/Fognini 10-9; Murray/Thiem d. Nadal/Ferrer 10-9; Fognini/Thiem d. Gasquet/Ferrer 10-8; Nadal/Gasquet d. Murray/Safin 10-0; Moya/Ferrer d. Thiem/Safin 10-8; Murray/Fognini d. Nadal/Moya 10-7; Nadal/Moya d. Murray/Fognini 7-5. Team Rafa defeated Team Murray 4-3.
