"If I'm practising with Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, there's a bit of interest in them, not so much in me" - Andy Murray

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray reckons Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the cynosure of all eyes when he's practicing with them.

Murray, 36, recently practiced with Nadal ahead of his Brisbane International opener. The Spaniard is making his much-awaited return at the ATP 250 event after a hip injury sidelined him for nearly a year. Undoubtedly, the legendary left-hander grabbed a lot of eyeballs as he engaged in a practice session with Murray.

The Scot, who opens his Brisbane campaign against Grigor Dimitrov in a blockbuster first-round tussle, said about the experience of practicing with Nadal:

"Uusually if I'm practicing with him or Novak, yeah, there's a bit of interest. Well, certainly in them. Not so much in me."

Providing a sneak peek into the Spaniard's intensity and level of play after a long hiatus, Andy Murray remarked that Nadal looked in 'good' shape:

"Yeah, it's great to have him back playing. I mean, he's obviously working extremely hard, like always. Always very, very intense practices with him. Yeah, he looked physically good, was playing well."

Rafael Nadal hasn't played since injuring his hip during his Australian Open second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald earlier this year. The Spaniard is making his second appearance in Brisbane, since making the quarterfinals in 2017.

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How has Andy Murray fared against Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal

Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal find themselves in the same half of the 32-man draw in Brisbane. The pair could meet in the semifinals, so how have the two legends fared against each other ahead of a potential clash next week?

The Scot has won only seven of his 24 career singles meetings with Nadal but won their last clash in the 2016 Madrid Masters semifinals. It marked the second time Murray beat Nadal on clay, having also bested the Spaniard in the Madrid final the previous year.

Having always met in Grand Slam, ATP Finals, Masters 1000 or ATP 500 events, the duo could meet at the ATP 250 level for the first time. Murray - as is evident in his head-to-head record against Nadal - has come up second-best on most occasions.

However, he has twice beaten the Spaniard in back-to-back matches. The first time he did so was in the 2008 US Open semifinal before beating Nadal again in his next meeting in the Rotterdam final.

Andy Murray's next set of back-to-back wins over Nadal came in 2011 (Tokyo final) and 2012 (Miami semifinal). Since then, the Spaniard has taken four of the pair's next six meetings.