Rafael Nadal shares picture of himself practicing with Andy Murray in Melbourne

Rafael Nadal has begun his preparations for the 2022 season and is scheduled to headline Melbourne Summer Set 2022, which will kick off on 4 January. He recently took to Instagram to show his fans what he has been up to, putting up a picture of his practice session with none other than Andy Murray.

Rafael Nadal was also spotted trading hits with Grigor Dimitrov last week, on the same court. The 20-time Slam champion recently contracted COVID-19, and would be eager to get back to his best at the warmup 250 event in Melbournene.

In the picture posted by Nadal on his Instagram handle, the Spaniard can be seen at the far end as Murray prepares to serve from the ad court. Nadal accompanied the post with a cheeky caption, replete with emojis and hashtags.

"Great practice today with an 'old friend', #hereiam" Rafael Nadal wrote, followed by a smiling and a bicep emoji.

Rafael Nadal played at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi last month, but struggled to find his range as he dropped both of his matches. It goes without saying that the 35-year-old sorely needs some quality practice sessions before the Australian Open kicks off.

It is pertinent to note that Andy Murray got the better of Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Abu Dhabi. The Scot produced a sharp display to beat Nadal in straight sets and reach the final of the exhibition event.

The match was Nadal's first outing since last year's Washington Open, with a foot injury having forced him to sit out the second half of the 2021 season.

Rafael Nadal looking to win his 21st Major title at the 2022 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal sent shockwaves around the tennis world when he announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on his return to Spain from Abu Dhabi. The news initially cast doubt over his availability for the Australian Open, but the Spaniard allayed those fears by posting a picture from the Rod Laver Arena on 31 December.

The phrase "here I am" has become a common feature of Rafael Nadal's social media captions. By writing it again in his Melbourne post, the 35-year-old seemed to suggest he was all set to vie for a record-breaking 21st Major title at the 2022 Australian Open.