There is no denying that Rafael Nadal has etched his position in the tennis realm as one of the ‘GOATs.’ On top of adding a remarkable 22 singles Grand Slam titles to his enviable trophy haul, the Spanish tennis star has also reached the number-one ranking on the ATP Tour. However, the 37-year-old player’s phenomenal legacy in the racket game isn’t the fruit of his labor alone.

Toiling behind the ‘King of the Clay’ have been some great coaches and hitting partners, one of whom recently hailed Nadal for his ‘200% intensity’ on the court. While talking about his experience in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports working with Nadal as his hitting partner, Thomas Drouet recently opened up about how he learned a lot of things from the former world No. 1 player.

Thomas Drouet on how he improved after playing with Rafael Nadal

Thomas Drouet has been associated with some of the big names in the tennis community, including Rafael Nadal, as a hitting partner on multiple occasions. Notably, in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, the former tennis player was recently questioned, “Yeah, so as I was asking you, that somewhere in your career, you were also associated with Nadal as a hitting partner on multiple occasions. I mean, how was that experience?”

In his honest response, Drouet said, “It’s okay. To be honest, that’s the only player who put my heart rate here on line. And it was impressive to play with him. Usually I was doing two weeks hitting partner with him. And after when I was going to play tournaments, I was like, wow, it’s so easy. I was improving so much. But really I learned so many things in terms of discipline, how he was giving 200%.”

While asserting that he learned a lot of things from Nadal in terms of discipline, Drouet also brought to light what makes the ATP superstar ‘special.’ He stated, “We were playing three hours and for three hours, it was 200% in terms of fitness, technique, but also focus. So I was like, wow. So this is what you need to become this special because they are special. And I kept this in my mind and I use it in my training coaching also. That’s what I put in my players, that daily discipline.”

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What do you think of the Spanish tennis legend’s ‘200% intensity’ on the court? Let us know in the comments section.

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