Andy Murray cherishing the opportunity to face Rafael Nadal at Mubadala Tennis Championships 2021

Former world No.1 Andy Murray is excited about the prospect of facing Rafael Nadal at the 2021 Mubadala Tennis Championships.

Murray believes that "it will be a lot of fun" and joked that he hopes the two could put on a good show for the "old guys."

Andy Murray emerged victorious in his first match against Dan Evans at the 2021 Mubadala Tennis Championships. Evans, who got a last-minute entry into the tournament after the withdrawal of Dominic Thiem, failed to make an impact against his old compatriot. He lost in straight sets with the final scoreline of the match reading 6-3, 6-2.

In his post-match interview, Murray revealed that he was not sure if he was ever going to get the opportunity to feature in big matches. This is due to his injury issues and slide down the rankings. He also recalled that he and Nadal have been a part of some great tennis matches.

"I mean, I don't know, you know if I was going to get an opportunity to play matches like that again. Rafa is someone I had some great battles with at some of the biggest tournaments in the world. We played here a few times as well. Yeah, he has obviously had his injury troubles as well last year I saw," Murray said in the interview.

Murray pointed out that just like him, Nadal has also been battling with injuries lately as well. While Murray missed most of the 2020 tennis season due to a recurring hip injury, Nadal recently recovered from his foot injury.

Rafael Nadal with Andy Murray at a tennis event

Murray further added:

"Yeah, it will be great to get an opportunity to play against him again. It will be a lot of fun and hopefully, we can put on a good performance for a couple of old guys."

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"I love watching Rafa"- Andy Murray on Rafael Nadal

During one of the training sessions ahead of his first match at the 2021 Mubadala Tennis Championships, Murray was asked about his favorite tennis player. Surprisingly, he took the name Rafael Nadal. Murray highlighted that he had always loved to watch the Spaniard play.

“For me probably, to watch, I love watching Rafa. Over the years, I loved watching Nadal," mentioned Murray.

Murray and Nadal have crossed each other's paths on a total of 24 occasions, with the Spaniard who leading the head-to-head 17-7. Interestingly, the two haven't faced each other on the court in the last five years.

Andy Murray with Rafael Nadal at the US Open 2016

While Rafael Nadal will begin as the favorite, Andy Murray is more than capable of pulling off an upset. The winner of this match will take on Andrey Rublev or Denis Shapovalov in the final of the exhibition tournament.