"Not a bad match for me" admits Nadal after defeat in Abu Dhabi

Rafael Nadal made his return to tennis at the Abu Dhabi exhibition event where he lost to Andy Murray in straight sets.

The defending champion in Abu Dhabi, Nadal was making his return to competitive top-level tennis having missed most of the second half of the 2021 season with a foot injury. He appeared to be moving well on a sticky night in the United Arab Emirates, though struggled a touch for accuracy at times, predictably rusty performance.

After the match Nadal said:

"It was not a bad match for me," 20-time Grand Slam winner Nadal commented on his defeat. It is special to be back in competition at a place I enjoy a lot. It had been a while since we played against each other - I am happy to see Andy playing at this level after everything he went through."

Nadal will play one more match tomorrow and it will be against Denis Shapovalov for 3rd place at the event. That match is set to begin at 14:00 CET.