"They’ve set such a high bar it’s going to be difficult for players to live up to them" - Andy Murray on impact of Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal

Andy Murray lavished praise on long-time rival Rafael Nadal following his win over the Spaniard at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Friday. Murray hailed the 20-time Grand Slam champion as a "brilliant role model" and said he always enjoyed watching the Spaniard play.

"I've always said how much I loved watching Rafa on the court. He’s a brilliant role model, not just for other players to watch and look up to, but anyone who is in the public eye," Murray said.

According to the Brit, Nadal and Roger Federer have raised the bar with respect to players' conduct on the court.

"Both him and Roger handle themselves so well on the court and they’ve set such a high bar that it’s going to be difficult for any players to live up to them. They're both big personalities, contrasting personalities as well, and they have helped take the sport to another level," the Brit said.

Murray feels tennis will find itself in a "tough" spot after Federer and Nadal retire.

"When they finish it will be a tough moment for tennis. It will recover, but it wont be easy to replace both guys and all tennis fans need to appreciate them while they playing because it won’t go on forever," Murray said.

Rafael Nadal loses comeback match in Abu Dhabi

Rafael Nadal at the 2021 Citi Open.

Rafael Nadal made his long-awaited return from injury at the 2021 Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi. After an opening-round bye, the defending champion took on long-time rival Andy Murray in the semifinals.

Playing their first match since the 2016 Madrid Open, the duo put on quite a show for the crowd. Nadal looked rusty but competed well in the 6-3, 7-5 loss to the Brit. The Spaniard admitted after the match that he exceeded expectations.

Nadal will take on Denis Shapovalov in the third-place play-off on Saturday. Nadal won their previous meetings, at the Italian Open, in three sets.

Murray, meanwhile, will face Andrey Rublev in the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.