Rafael Nadal has announced a series of exhibition matches on Saturday 3 October to mark the tenth anniversary of his academy in Majorca. According to him, the event will bring together big names in tennis, and Andy Murray, former world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion, has been invited and will take part.
To invite him, Nadal didn’t pick up the phone. He recorded a staged voice message and posted it on social media. “Hi Andy, how are you doing? I didn’t call you because I’m sure you’re playing golf and I didn’t want to disturb you,” he explains, before offering him… a round of golf before the party. He adds that he knows Murray has “trained a lot, almost like a pro,” while he himself doesn’t “practise as much,” but thinks he can “be competitive.”
Nadal also mentions that Murray has already come to train at the academy several times, before proposing that after the round of golf they organise a team competition: each bringing along friends to celebrate the venue’s tenth anniversary.
Maxime read the message three times.
Silly question, but if he thinks Murray is out playing golf, why not call him during the round to suggest playing golf together? I checked, there’s no rule against calling someone mid-round. And then he says he thinks he can be competitive against someone who trains “almost like a pro”: if a friend told me that before a match, I’d already be preparing my excuses. Anyway, I still have a lot to learn about how legends issue invitations.
Rafael Nadal was also filmed on Tuesday on one of his academy’s courts, looking particularly sharp. Nothing to do with golf, but Maxime notes that everyone in this story seems to be in good shape, except perhaps the phone, which still hasn’t rung.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
