Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 9, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his quarter final match against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 9, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his quarter final match against Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Fans became quite disappointed after Rafael Nadal decided to end his 2021 season shortly before the US Open 2021. The Spaniard is currently suffering from a foot injury and is expected to return directly at the Australian Open 2022 now.
Even though he failed to clinch even a single Grand Slam title this year, he achieved his La Decima at the Italian Open 2021. However, he couldn’t win a title on the hard or grass courts this season, and thus, it wasn’t a great season for him.
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Rafael Nadal recalls watching the matches between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras
In a recent interview with NumberWeb, Nadal revealed that he has been a huge tennis fan right from his childhood. He recalled that he always enjoyed the matches between tennis legends, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, as he would learn so many things from them.
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Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal pose at Hit for Haiti. A charity event during the BNP Paribas Open on March 12, 2010 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, and I loved watching the match between them. I learned an aggressive playing style from Sampras and a fighting spirit from Agassi. The match between them was very inspiring as they are two different types,” said Nadal in the interview. (Translated via Google Translate)
Sampras and Agassi crossed the path of each other on 34 occasions and were involved in one of the most intense rivalries in the history of tennis. While the former leads the head-to-head battle with 20 victories, the latter is not behind with 14 wins.
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Nadal discloses that he also takes inspiration from Carlos Moya and Ilie Nastase
In the same interview, Rafa highlighted that he also used to follow his coach, Carlos Moya’s game, back as a youngster. He also disclosed that he was also a fan of former Romanian tennis player, Ilie Nastase.
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Rafael Nadal of Spain with coach Carlos Moya training on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Preparation for the 2018 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Of course, I was also influenced by my current coach Carlos Moya from Spain. Going back further in history, I like the game of Ilie Nastase,” added the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
Fans hope that Rafael Nadal recovers soon from his foot injury and returns to the court quickly. Will he be able to make an incredible comeback next year?
Also Read: “Showing Tremendous Stability”: Rafael Nadal Lauds Rival Novak Djokovic For Phenomenal 2021 Season
