Andy Murray spent his career as the fourth man in a group most people call a trio. That came back to him in a surprising way when he visited the Rafael Nadal museum in Mallorca. On October 3, the Brit was invited to play in an exhibition event marking the 10th anniversary of the Rafa Nadal Academy. Murray visited the Academy in Manacor for the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam, which the Spaniard’s team won 4-3. 

Ahead of the matches, the former world No. 1 was shown around the museum, and in a vlog he recorded and posted on his YouTube channel “The Set,” he captured what happened next. As he walked through, a staff member made an unsettling revelation. 

“So Rafa won’t tell you, but he doesn’t feel good because we have a room about the Big Three,” he stated. The room revolves around Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, the three Murray has chased his entire career. Murray did not seem bothered. 

“That’s fine,” Brit replied. The staff member pressed on, explaining what Nadal had told him. 

“I know it’s fine for you, but he told me, like, because he was not the decision to make. He won’t tell you,” the employee added. 

The wording suggests that Nadal felt uneasy about showing a Big Three room to a rival who is part of the Big Four, and that he wanted it known the layout was not his decision.

“It’s fine. Not a problem,” Murray added, keeping it light and moving on. 

The exchange was short, but it hinted at how comfortable the two men are with each other after meeting 24 times on tour.

The room is one of the main attractions of the museum’s overhaul. The renovated space, called Inside the Legend, includes an area on the Big Three with an audiovisual zone, original objects and statistics from their era. Federer visited it this summer and spent particular time in that room. 

For Murray, the situation was different. He won three Grand Slam titles, reached world No. 1, and has the most combined wins over the trio of any player outside it, with 29. Murray’s own response to the rest of his tour was much more positive.

Murray praises museum and shares early Nadal memories

The awkward moment didn’t ruin Murray’s visit. In the Vlog, he spent time looking at Nadal’s trophies and early memorabilia. Speaking at the end of the video, he was far warmer. 

“I love going around the museum. For me, that was the best part of it,” Murray said in the episode.  

The 39-year-old even recalled that he first saw Nadal when he was about 12, and the Spaniard was about 13. He remembered urging his coach, along with the other boys on his team, to come and watch an unbelievable Spanish kid. The coach was unimpressed. He said Nadal “just looks like a whole lot of huff and puff to me.” It was a funny reminder of how wrong early judgments can be. 

The Vlog even captures the two discussing how the French Open replica trophies differ in size from year to year. Nadal can be heard saying he complained about it for a couple of years.

All the conversations recorded between the two players reflected the comfort between the two players share. Murray was even present during the Spaniard’s tribute ceremony at the Roland Garros alongside Federer and Novak Djokovic. 

Even though Nadal leads their head-to-head 17-7, he once said that Murray was the only player who came close to the standard of the Big Three. In that sense, the museum moment isn’t a peculiar snub, it’s more of a quirk of branding.