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Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has been one of the most noteworthy players in modern history. There has not been any other player who has managed to dominate a particular sport in the manner the Spaniard has. 

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Rafa has missed quite a bit of tennis this season due to a foot injury. However, he is in Abu Dhabi, ready to compete in the Mubadala World Tennis Championships. During one of his practice sessions, he was training along with Denis Shapovalov. And the Canadian player was in awe of Nadal’s level of gameplay.

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He stated, “He killed me on the court yesterday so I think he’s feeling pretty good. It’s incredible to be out on the court with him. Every time I’m hitting against him, I’m just like, ‘Damn, this guy’s good’. I mean I hit a passing shot yesterday and he just hit a drop volley off of it like it was nothing and I’m like, ‘I wish I could do that.”‘

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Rafael Nadal is too strong to train with 

Denis was happy to have a knock with Rafa. Whenever he comes across the Spaniard, he is left mesmerized by the sheer power and consistency in the 35-year-old player’s game. During the session, Shapovalov was striking the ball neatly, but the veteran always had an answer for him. 

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The 22-year-old added, “You really see how great they are when you practice with them. The guy hits the ball so big, he’s so good, he’s got some of the best hands I’ve seen at the net, for me it’s inspiring to practice with guys like this, for my sake to see how I can be better, or how I can improve my game so I can hopefully one day be at their level or be somewhat as good as they are.”

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Coming to his tennis, Shapovalov had a good season and reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the Wimbledon Championships. On the other hand, Nadal has not competed in the last two Majors. Therefore, it is sure great to see him come back on the tour again. We wish both players the best of luck.

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Watch this story: The Journey of Roger Federer to the Elite Billionaire’s Club

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Rohan Kollare

1,671 Articles

Rohan Kollare is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Rohan has studied Sports Management and has a trophy cabinet adorned with accolades won in district and state-level tennis competitions. He has previously worked in Content Operations for Disney’s Hotstar for over a year, covering Tennis and Formula One. Rohan's experience as a player gives him the ability to provide incisive analysis of the game rather than a superficial understanding. When not staunchly supporting his idol Roger Federer, Rohan likes to dive into animal welfare work, get lost in a book or listen to some music.

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