"My friend" - Rafael Nadal wishes Andy Murray luck ahead of Brisbane International 2024, thanks Brit for practice session

Spain's Rafael Nadal has wished Andy Murray luck ahead of the Brisbane International 2024. The duo recently practiced together Down Under.

Nadal is set to return to tennis after 11 months of absence from the court due to a hip injury. He is expected to begin his comeback alongside compatriot Marc Lopez in a doubles duel against Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson on Sunday, December 31, in Brisbane.

In the singles draw, he is slated to face a qualifier in the opening match on Monday, January 1.

Similarly, Murray will pair up with Holger Rune on Sunday for a doubles battle with Aslan Karatsev and Roman Safuillin. He will take on Grigor Dimitrov on Monday in the singles category.

Nadal and Murray held a joint practice session on Saturday, December 30, inside the Queensland Tennis Centre ahead of the ATP 250 event. Following the drill, the Spaniard took to Instagram to extend his gratitude to his old foe.

"Thanks @andymurray for a great practice today. Good luck at the tournament my friend," he wrote.

The rivalry between Nadal and Murray has a long history dating back to 2007 when they met at the Australian Open. The former faced a stern challenge in overcoming the Brit as their duel spanned over five sets.

Overall, their head-to-head currently stands at 17-7 in the Spaniard's favor. Their last meeting came in the semifinal of the 2016 Madrid Masters, which Murray won 7-5, 6-4.

---

"Rafael Nadal's second serve is significantly harder than what he did earlier in his career" - Andy Murray

Andy Murray

Andy Murray interacted with the media following the practice match against Rafael Nadal and shared insights into the latter's style of play.

"There's certain things he's probably doing, slightly different to earlier in his career. His second serve is significantly harder than what he did earlier in his career but I mean, the rest of the game, unless there's a physical issue, there's not really much reason for him to make huge changes to that. It's been pretty successful," the three-time Grand Slam winner said (via abc.net).

Murray further suggested that the 37-year-old doesn't need to experiment too much with the tactics that have brought him success in the past.

"When he's fit and healthy, that game style is what has worked really really well for him, looking for his forehand, trying to dominate with that shot. If he wants to be successful in the future, that's what he should be looking to do and that's how he was trying to play today," he said.