"Perfect like me or with holes in the middle?" - Rafael Nadal shares hilarious response after failing to beat Andy Murray's time in 'grip challenge'
Rafael Nadal put his sense of humor on display after failing to beat Andy Murray's record in a 'grip challenge' at the Brisbane International.
Nadal kicked off his comeback at the ATP 250 event with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Dominic Thiem. He then defeated Jason Kubler in dominant fashion, winning 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals in Brisbane. However, the Spaniard fell short against Jordan Thompson, squandering three match points and allowing the Australian to claim a 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-4 victory.
During his campaign at the Brisbane International, Rafael Nadal tried his hand at the 'grip challenge,' attempting to put a grip on a racquet in the shortest time possible. While tackling the task, the 22-time Grand Slam champion asserted that the quality of the execution was just as important as the speed.
"Then we need to analyze to the quality not only the speed," he said.
The former World No. 1 clocked in at 25 seconds, prompting a grimace as he had expected to complete the task quicker. However, upon learning that Andy Murray had finished the task in just 11 seconds, the Spaniard hilariously questioned whether the Brit's work was as "perfect" as his own or whether it had holes in the middle.
"But everything perfect like me or, [with] holes in the middle?" he asked.
It is worth mentioning that while Murray did an admirable job of getting the grip on the racquet in just 11 seconds, he did indeed leave a small gap on the handle, validating Nadal's playful inquiry.
Andy Murray's campaign at the Brisbane International came to an end in the first round itself, as he suffered a narrow three-set loss to Grigor Dimitrov.
Rafael Nadal: "Andy Murray holds the passion for his game at the end, that's a very positive example"
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray took part in a joint practice session ahead of their tournament openers at the Brisbane International. Both players spoke highly of each other after their training session.
Nadal lavished praise on the Brit's enduring passion for the sport despite his numerous achievements, describing him as a positive role model for the kids.
"It's a very positive example of passion and positive example for the kids about how somebody we had almost everything he wanted, he achieved almost everything, he hold the passion for his game and for his work at the end. That's a very positive example," he said in a press conference.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion further lauded Murray's determination to play on despite undergoing hip surgery, stating that his resilience was something "beyond tennis."
"[Andy Murray] demonstrate an amazing passion and love for the game. That's the true, no? After a very tough surgery that he went through, he hold the passion and the working spirit to be where he is today. Something very difficult," he said.
"When you achieve all the things that Andy achieved for such a long time, and coming back knowing it will be super difficult to come back to that level of tennis and accept the challenge and accept the situation, it's something that goes beyond the tennis, no?" he added.
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have faced off in 24 tour-level encounters, with the Spaniard enjoying a 17-7 lead in their head-to-head record.