Andy Murray will begin his 2024 campaign at the Brisbane International, which is set to commence on December 31. Ahead of the season-opening tournament, he revealed that he missed facing Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on the big stage.
The world No. 42 last faced Nadal, in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters in 2016. Meanwhile, he previously faced Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Masters last year.
Speaking during a press conference, he said, “Obviously I would like the opportunity to play against them again, ideally in the latter stages of big tournaments. Obviously I would like the opportunity to play against them again, ideally in the latter stages of big tournaments.”
“If I get the opportunity to practise with them, I still really, really enjoy that. It does bring back some good memories, but ideally, I’d want to be doing that in the tournaments, not in the first rounds,” he further added.
The Scotsman has currently been practicing with the Spaniard in Brisbane. Nadal will be making his comeback, after suffering an injury at the Australian Open in January this year.
Speaking of Nadal, he said, “His second serve is significantly harder than what he did earlier in his career. But yeah, 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.”
“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. That’s how he was trying to play today,” he added.
Murray will begin his Brisbane International against second-seeded Bulgarian ace Grigor Dimitrov in the first round, and will be aiming for a win.
