Rafael Nadal Reveals His Key Learnings From Legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi

Published 10/15/2021, 6:30 AM EDT

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.

“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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“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?

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Written by:

Anshul Singh is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports, currently pursuing Journalism Honors from Delhi University. Having significant experience with content, Anshul has authored over 1000 tennis articles. He has previously worked as a writer and an editor for DU Express, penning riveting articles on sports, politics, and culture.

Rafael Nadal Reveals His Key Learnings From Legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi

Rafael Nadal recalls watching the matches between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras

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Nadal discloses that he also takes inspiration from Carlos Moya and Ilie Nastase