Rafael Nadal swings his fists, roars, and injects every shot with a familiar intensity as if it were his last. Rinse, repeat. This scene sums up the last few days of the 22-time major champion training hard in Sani on the Aegean coast.
After withdrawing from the opening round of Roland Garros, the former world number one had a clear plan: he would skip Wimbledon to avoid the physically demanding change of surface, and instead play his best on clay, then return to action at the ATP 250 on Bastard before heading to the Paris Olympics.
After spending a few days at Mobistar’s Rafa Nadal Academy, Nadal felt he needed more time on the court, and for that he invited Argentinean Thomas Martin Etcheberi. He is currently ranked 31st in the PIF ATP Rankings and is a top-five player on clay this season (19). Where? At the Rafa Nadal Tennis Center in Greece, which opened in 2019. Nadal brought his entire team to the resort, and they are working under the guidance of Carlos Moya.
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“It’s a crazy place where we practice… and I want to say that Nadal is working hard, he’s doing really well,” the Argentine told ATPTour.com. What was it like for the La Plata native to spend a few days with the 92-time tour title winner? “I had the opportunity to ask him a lot of questions, ask him for advice, he was always very humble, willing to help, to progress, and to put in a lot of time for everyone,” Echeverri said.
“It’s been a dream come true for me, it’s been an incredible experience. First of all, spending time with Rafa, a player I’ve watched since I started playing tennis, one of the best in history, it’s been crazy. It’s been an honor and a privilege,” enthused Echeverri, who was with the team, coach Wally Grinovero and fitness coach Martiniano Orazi.
Nadal will play at the Nordea Open in Bastard next week, the Spaniard’s first ATP 250 appearance since winning the tournament in 2005. With a season record of 7-5, Nadal continues to work on finding his competitive time and rhythm before the Olympics begin in the French capital, where he will play singles and then face Carlos Alcarra in doubles.
Editor’s note: This article was translated from ATPTour.com/es.
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