Gripping Australian Open Flashback Unveils How Intimidating Rafael Nadal Backfired Terribly for Former French ATP Pro

In the world of tennis, there are hardly a few players who have had an impact quite like Rafael Nadal had. Over the years, the Spanish sensation was a huge force to be dealt with and all the aspiring players and even the professionals used to take inspiration from the Spaniard. The same was the case with the former French player Paul Henri Mathieu.

However, imitating Rafael Nadal did not turn fruitful for him and he learnt a valuable lesson. In a recent interview, Paul reflects on the same while talking about how his experience was while learning from the best.

Former ATP Pro reflects on valuable lesson that he learnt by imitating Rafael Nadal

Imagine trying to make tennis star Rafael Nadal nervous before a big match. Well, former player Paul Henri Mathieu tried just that in 2008 at the Australian Open. In a recent interview, the French star came ahead and revealed that he wanted to intimidate Nadal in the locker room, but the plan backfired.

Right when Mathieu stepped onto the court for the first serve, he ended up tearing a muscle in his calf. Talk about irony! “I tried to intimidate Nadal in the locker room… first serve, I tore my calf,” said Mathieu while revealing the lesson that he learnt from the Spaniard.

While trying to get some tips and tricks from the best, it did not seem to go well for the French star as he had to stay out of the court for some time.

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While the French star tried to emulate the Spaniard, they crossed paths multiple times in their career. So what were the stats, who eventually dominated the head-to-head records?

Nadal vs Henri Mathieu: Head-to-head

When it comes to the head-to-head statistics between the two players, the two have crossed paths with each other for a total of 10 times. Interestingly, there hasn’t been a single occasion when Paul Henri Mathieu managed to secure a win. Thus, all the 10 encounters were won by the Spanish player who managed to keep a 100% win record against him.

Thus, the French player could not stand a chance in front of Nadal for 7-8 years as he could not secure a win against him. However, despite their encounters, both the players had respect and understanding for each other.

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