Almost two years after retiring from tennis, Rafael Nadal felt the thrill of competing again in a special exhibition event. The event, titled the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam, was held in Mallorca on Saturday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the academy. It featured two teams, one of which was led by Nadal and the other was led by his former rival Andy Murray. They played a total of seven doubles matches, and the Spaniard’s team triumphed 4-3. After the event, Nadal jokingly trolled Murray for his team’s defeat.

“Perhaps next time we can hold a golf event, so you’ll (Murray) have a chance,” he said during the awards ceremony. “I know you’re practising a lot, quite a bit more than I am, so perhaps the next Nadal Academy Slam can be golf.”

The exhibition event was attended by more than 2,000 spectators. It was an afternoon filled with nostalgia for tennis fans as several tennis veterans took to the court for the first time in years. While Nadal’s team included Carlos Moya, David Ferrer, and Richard Gasquet, Murray was joined by Marat Safin, Dominic Thiem, and Fabio Fognini.

The format was simple: The first pair to reach 10 points wins the match. If the scores were level after six matches, then a deciding five-point tiebreaker would be played. The event kicked off with Moya and Gasquet clinching a 10-9 win over Safin and Fognini. Team Murray levelled the score at 1-1 as the Brit and Thiem defeated Nadal and Ferrer 10-9 in the second match. Fognini and Thiem then racked up a 10-8 victory against Gasquet and Ferrer.

Team Rafa came back strong as Nadal and Gasquet defeated Murray and Safin 10-0. Following this, Moya and Ferrer put Team Rafa in the lead by defeating Thiem and Safin 10-8. But the scores were levelled again as Murray and Fognini recorded a 10-7 win over Nadal and Moya. The tie was settled in the seventh match, where Nadal and Moya defeated Murray and Fognini 7-5.

Nadal later revealed that he chose doubles as the format because it is fun to play and doesn’t require a lot of preparation as well.

“Doubles is more dynamic and more fun. This way, nobody had to prepare in any special way. It’s a format everyone can play without any specific preparation,” he stated.

Nadal received a huge ovation from the Mallorcan crowd as he made his return to the court. The Spaniard won and lost two matches each. The crowd let out a big roar as he and Moya defeated Murray and Fognini in the final match of the event.

Murray was thankful to Nadal for being given the opportunity to play at the special event and expressed his desire to return in the coming years.

Andy Murray was ecstatic to be a part of the exhibition event

“Thank you all for the atmosphere today, and thank you, Rafa, for inviting me,” he said after the event’s conclusion. “You have an incredible place here, all the children are incredibly fortunate to train somewhere like this.”

“It’s been fantastic to come back, visit the museum, remember moments from your career and everything you’ve achieved. It’s been fantastic to have been part of that journey. Although we were rivals, it’s been special to look back and remember it all. I hope I can return in the future.”

It is no secret that Murray was one of Nadal’s biggest rivals back in the day. Though the Spaniard has a commanding 17-7 lead in the H2H record, Murray got the better of him in three finals.

The Brit’s biggest victory over Nadal arguably came in the final of the 2015 Madrid Open, where he triumphed 6-3, 6-2. On the other hand, Nadal dominated in most of the meetings the two had at Grand Slams. He won seven of the nine matches they played in majors.

However, it was Murray who had the last laugh as he defeated Nadal in their final match. It was played in the semifinals of the 2016 Madrid Open and saw the Brit triumph 7-5, 6-4. Though Nadal may have a massive lead in the H2H record, Murray is still and always will be regarded as one of the toughest competitors he ever faced.