Andy Murray reveals Rafa Nadal's influence on move to Spain as a teenager - 'I understood that I had to change something'
Updated 04/10/2026 at 18:39 GMT+1
Andy Murray has revealed that Rafael Nadal was the reason he decided to move from Scotland to Spain as a teenager. Three-time Grand Slam winner Murray was discussing Nadal's influence on his career during a press event at the Spaniard's tennis academy in Mallorca.
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Video credit: SNTV
Murray and Nadal made a sensational return to the tennis court, a year and a half after their respective retirements, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Rafa Nadal Academy.
"Me and Rafa have known each other since we were kids," Murray recalled.
"The first time I saw him play in tournaments, he was different from the others, in the way he played, but already at 13, 14 years old, his attitude on the court, his concentration, focus and how mature he was.
"I still remember that. He was the reason I came to train in Spain. When I was 15, I moved to Barcelona to train for two years because I spoke to him at some of those events.
"I had asked him: 'What does a week look like for you?' He told me: 'I go to school in the morning, then in the afternoon I play tennis for two or three hours. Then I get to practice with Carlos Moya, who was No. 1 in the world.'
"Then he asked me the same question. I replied: 'I train for an hour, three times a week, with my mother.' That's when I understood that I had to change something."
For the Rafa Nadal Academy's 10th anniversary event, Murray captained a team featuring Marat Safin, Dominic Thiem and Fabio Fognini.
Nadal was joined by Moya, Richard Gasquet and David Ferrer, with the two teams competing in doubles matches decided by 10-point tie-breaks on the academy's acrylic court.
After six matches, Team Rafa and Team Murray were tied at 3-3, sending the contest to a final tie-break, which Nadal's side won.
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"Holding a racket will always be fun for me. I'm not closing the door on playing again for fun; I think that will happen," the 22-time Grand Slam winner said, hours before his return to the court.
"The only thing is that it has to be a slow process. A step-by-step process, day by day, little by little.
"And there's also the fact that I ended my career with many physical problems, so the racket also reminds me of all the pain I've had throughout a good part of my career."
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