Andy Murray makes unexpected revelation about Rafael Nadal "throwing playstation controllers" in anger in contrast to legacy of never throwing rackets
Former World No.1 Andy Murray has congratulated Rafael Nadal on his incredible career as the Spaniard retired from professional tennis at the Davis Cup Finals. In his farewell message, Murray also revealed that Nadal had broken several PlayStation controllers in his career.
The Spaniard had been struggling with persistent injury issues during the last couple of seasons before he announced his decision to retire at the Davis Cup Finals. He had played his last competitive match against Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics before taking on Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on November 19.
Nadal showed flashes of his past brilliance in the opening set but lost in straight sets in the end, 6-4, 6-4, in the final match of his career. Spain won its next singles match but lost the doubles. Nadal and Spain were eliminated from the Davis Cup Finals as a result.
Nadal was emotional following the match and received farewell messages from all across the world with former World No.1 Andy Murray also pouring his support. The pair faced each other for nearly two decades before the Brit announced his retirement in August 2024.
"Just wanted to send you a quick message to congratulate on the most incredible career. I've always been a huge fan of yours and it's been incredible to watch you, practice with you, and get the chance to compete against you through all these years since we first met as 13-14-year-old kids," he said in a video message.
Murray also revealed that while he had never seen Nadal break a racket during his career, he had witnessed the 22-time Grand Slam champion throw away his PlayStation controllers after losing a match on PES.
"You're probably the only tennis player ever to never throw their racket in anger which is incredible. However, this wasn't the case when you would lose in the PlayStation. I've seen Rafa throwing PlayStation controllers in hotels all over the world when he and his close friend Juan Monaco would lose a late goal to me with his beloved Real Madrid at Pro Evolution Soccer," Andy Murray added.
The three-time Grand Slam champion also acknowledged Nadal's passion for the game, one that he will always be remembered for.
Andy Murray revealed what stood out for him in Rafael Nadal's all-time great career
Speaking in an interview with Olympics.com ahead of his farewell at the Paris Olympics, Andy Murray revealed that he had known Rafael Nadal since they were 12-13 years old and the Spaniard hadn't changed a bit. However, what stood out to him was Nadal's sportsmanship and his work ethic.
"I think the way he went about things in terms of his sportsmanship and his work ethic, his professionalism and all of those things, [that’s] what would stand out for me. He controlled himself unbelievably well on the court and showed huge, huge passion when competing for Spain," he said
The pair faced each other 24 times in their careers with Nadal winning 17 of those matches. While they never met in Grand Slam finals, Murray beat the Spaniard thrice in the ATP Finals in their four meetings.