"Do you know what Rafael Nadal does? He trains on clay, in the sunshine" - When Andy Murray called his mother demanding better tennis education

When Andy Murray was 15, he called his mother Judy Murray and asked for better tennis education, having spent some time with Rafael Nadal in Andorra.

Andy and Nadal regularly competed with each other during their formative years. When Andy was 15 years old and Nadal was a year older, the two were competing in the European 16 and under Team Championships in Andorra, representing Great Britain and Spain respectively.

In an old Tennis Channel interview, Judy recalled how a phone call from Andy during that tournament gave her the belief that her younger son had his mind set on making tennis his professional career.

“When there were 15 and 16, Great Britain played Spain in the final of the European 16 and under Team Championships in Andorra. They each won their singles and later on that evening Andy came on the phone, 'Reverse charge call from Andorra, will you pay for it?' And I'm thinking, 'He never calls, unless something's wrong.' And I'm thinking 'He's lost his passport, he's lost his money,'" she said.

“And so, he's going 'Mum, I've just been playing racquetball with Rafa and do you know what he does? He trains on clay, in the sunshine! He doesn't go to school and he gets to hit with Carlos Moya. What have I got you?' And I'm holding the phone like this. But there was part of me, I was quite pleased that he was realizing that he had to do more because I knew he had more or less run out of the environment that we could create in Scotland and that he needed," she added.

“But I also realized that it has to come from him. He has to want to do it. Anyway, that led us to exploring some academies in Barcelona, which is the hotbed of European tennis as you know and six months later he started at the Sanchez Casal Academy,” she concluded.

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Andy Murray on a potential farewell tour: "I'm not sure how many people will be bothered"

Andy Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion.

Andy Murray recently brushed aside the idea of having a farewell tour when the time comes to hang up his boots, joking that no would be interested in watching him.

Murray has struggled with injuries in recent years and found it difficult to put together enough consistency to challenge for the biggest titles. The three-time Grand Slam champion's 2024 season began on a sour note, as Grigor Dimitrov came from a set down to win 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 and end the Brit's Brisbane International campaign in the Round of 32.

In a recent interview, Murray said that he might not have a farewell tour like Roger Federer and Serena Williams.

"I don't know, to be honest, I probably wouldn't. As I get it more, like, when you're Roger Feder or Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams or whatever like these, everyone wants to see them one last time, probably not quite the same for me," he told Radio 5 Live.

"So if I was announcing my farewell tour I'm not, I'm not sure how many people we bothered... maybe in the UK," he added.