Not many in the tennis community get to practice with the ‘King of the Clay,’ Rafael Nadal, on his favorite surface, where he has been a force to be reckoned with during his competitive journey. But now that Andrey Rublev recently got this chance, the Russian tennis star opened up about how the Spaniard ‘killed him,’ as he opened up about his experience of playing with him on clay ahead of the Barcelona Open.

The 22-time singles Grand Slam champion was recently sighted on the clay courts in Barcelona as he practiced alongside his Russian colleague ahead of their participation in the Torneo Conde de Godó. Notably, during a conversation with the ATP Tour, Rublev was asked, “You practiced earlier today with Rafa, how did that get together, did you ask him, did he ask you?” In his honest response, the former number 5 player said, “Not really. I mean he killed me or I mean I kill myself I don’t know. But the practise is always nice to practise with Rafa.”

As he got to practice alongside the ‘King of the Clay,’ the Russian player revealed that it was his coach who arranged the training session in Barcelona. He said, “So we had to start to play. I think for sure (it was me). I don’t think Rafa asked someone for practice. I think most of the players are asking Rafa to practise. So I’m pretty sure my coach takes to his team and this is how we arranged the practice.” After training with the Spaniard, Rublev also lauded Nadal for his resilient nature and his ability to prove his naysayers wrong.

“When he was coming back from the situation”- Andrey Rublev hails Rafael Nadal for proving all his skeptics wrong

During his competitive journey, Nadal had to overcome a number of setbacks, including his injury woes, to reach the top echelons of the racket game. In doing so, the Spaniard also proved his naysayers wrong, as she brushed aside all the skepticism surrounding his fitness levels on the court.

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Notably, Rublev was recently singing the praise of the former number 1 player during the same conversation. He said, “When he was coming back from the situation that everyone was saying, ‘Now is for sure,’ ‘Now is for sure,’ ‘Now is for sure,’ and he always was proving (everybody wrong) and he was coming back.” What do you think of Rublev getting real about his experience of practicing alongside Nadal ahead of the Barcelona Open? Let us know in the comments section.