The tennis legends warmed up on the beach before the men’s singles tournament of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

ATP world number one Andy Murray and seven-time Dubai champion Roger Federer are back in Dubai for the 25th anniversary of the Dubai Duty Free Championships, and they took some time out from practice for an impromptu match on the beach facing the iconic Burj Al Arab at the Jumeirah Al Naseem hotel.

‘I thought we could have a quick warm up match,’ says Federer to his tennis rival.

‘Sure, what better place to do it?’ smiles Murray.

And so ensues the most leisurely game of tennis these two have ever played against each other. Eventually Federer shows off his beach paddle tennis finesse and secures victory at the shoreline.

Still, nothing will ever be as iconic as this match…

BUT NOW FOR REAL TENNIS…

Remember though, it’s not all fun and games for these lads in the emirates. They’re back to battle it out at the 25th anniversary of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Murray and Federer haven’t played since the Australian Open, which saw Federer win his 18th Grand Slam title in spectacular style. With Tournament Director Salah Tahlak on hand to umpire, the beach seemed the perfect place to warm up for the ATP Tournament which kicks off on Monday 27 February.

Plus, Murray and Federer are in the same side of the draw, and so are very likely to face off again…

ATP Dubai Tennis Championships 2017

Ahead of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, What’s On chatted to World No 1 Andy Murray, about his love for the tournament:

‘The tournament itself is very convenient,’ says Murray, ‘they also treat the players unbelievably well, we all have our very own dedicated concierge who are on hand to help us with anything we need, which you don’t get at tournaments. The courts are always in great condition, and always play really well. The sun is usually shining as well, which helps.’

**READ MORE**
Andy Murray on Dubai, his 2017 goals, and how it feels to be World No. 1

Tickets are still available from the Box Office at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Garhoud which opens from 9am to 9pm daily.

Tickets are also available online through dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/en/tickets For further information about tickets, prices and the tournament visit dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com

– For more about Dubai straight to your newsfeed, follow us on Facebook.