Just In: Andy Murray shocked as Rafael Nadal gifts generous presents to Brit after reunion
Andy Murray recently returned to the tennis court to celebrate 10 years of Rafael Nadal’s academy in his home of Manacor, Mallorca. To mark the anniversary, the Spaniard hosted the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam, an exhibition event which saw Team Nadal take on Team Murray. In the end, it was the 22-time Major champion and his squad – Carlos Moya, David Ferrer, and Richard Gasquet – who beat Murray’s team, which included Dominic Thiem, Marat Safin, and Fabio Fognini, in a series of 10-point doubles tiebreaks.
It was a flying visit for three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who documented his trip to Mallorca on The Set, the YouTube channel he shares with his brother, Jamie. And the former world No. 1 didn’t leave empty-handed, despite losing the exhibition tournament.
Nadal showed his generosity by leaving a special care package in Murray’s room, which included the latest iPhone. In his YouTube vlog, the Brit is shown to his room by Maribel, Nadal’s sister, who works in marketing and sales for the Rafa Nada Academy.
“Is this a new… This is a new phone? Look,” he said, holding the iPhone up to the camera. “I needed a new phone, so that is… Wow.”
That wasn’t the only present Nadal left his old rival. “We’ve got a jumper here, Nike jumper. “What has he put in here? Olive oil?” Murray asked as he continued looking through the gift bags.
“Olive oil. Everything is from Mallorca,” Maribel confirmed. Nadal’s sister then came over to show the former world No. 1 a bottle of wine that was also sitting on the table. “And this is a wine with the Rafa brand,” she added.
“When did he launch that? I didn’t know he was doing wine,” Murray questions. Maribel replied: “Last year. You have to taste and let him know if it’s good or if he has to improve!”
While Nadal was generous with the presents, he showed no mercy when they got out on the court. The 22-time Grand Slam champion teamed up with Gasquet to beat Murray and Safin 10-0 in one of the tiebreaks.
After the first six 10-point breakers, the scores were all level. Team Nadal won three, and Team Murray won three. They played a first-to-seven-point tiebreak to crown the champions. Nadal and Moya joined forces to claim a 7-5 victory over Murray and Fognini, winning the inaugural Rafa Nadal Academy Slam.
During the trophy presentation, Murray told the Spaniard: “Thank you all for the atmosphere today, and thank you, Rafa, for inviting me. You have an incredible place here. All the children are incredibly fortunate to train somewhere like this.”
And Nadal responded with a special offer. “Thank you for those words, Andy. Perhaps next time we can hold a golf event, so you’ll have a chance. I know you’re practising a lot, quite a bit more than I am, so perhaps the next Nadal Academy Slam can be golf,” he joked.
