Judy Murray hilariously tells how she ‘blames’ Rafa Nadal for motivating son Andy’s glittering tennis career

Judy Murray has shared a hilarious story about how she “blames” Rafael Nadal for motivating her son Andy on to greatness in his tennis career. The retired Spanish legend, Nadal, announced his retirement from tennis after securing a remarkable 22 Grand Slam titles, including an impressive 14 French Open victories. Nadal’s retirement came after Spain’s loss to the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarter-final.

Reflecting on a time over 20 years ago when Andy Murray first encountered Nadal, Judy joked about how a racquetball session with the Spaniard sparked Andy’s ambition to become a professional tennis player. Judy recounted a phone call she received from Andy after he played racquetball with Nadal in Andorra, where he expressed his frustration about not having the same opportunities for tennis training as Nadal did.

Despite Judy’s initial concern that Andy was in trouble, she instead listened to him vent about his desire to train in Spain like Nadal. Andy humorously blamed Nadal for his newfound drive to excel in tennis, a motivation that would lead him to win two Wimbledon titles, two Olympic gold medals, and a US Open crown.

Andy Murray also congratulated Rafael Nadal on his retirement, reminiscing about their time playing PlayStation football games together where Nadal would often throw tantrums when losing. Murray praised Nadal for his impressive tennis career and wished him a well-deserved retirement.

Judy Murray’s story sheds light on the early motivations and inspirations that shaped Andy Murray’s successful tennis career, highlighting the role that unexpected encounters and experiences can play in fuelling one’s ambition and drive for greatness.