Rafael Nadal: "I never imitated anyone"
Rafael Nadal has told the Japanese platform Number Web which players inspired him in his youth.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Oct 17, 2021, 07:29 am
At the moment, a lot is unclear about Rafael Nadal. The Mallorcan, who has only played two matches since his epic semi-final defeat in Roland Garros against Novak Djokovic, is back on the court after a foot injury, but does not want to commit to an exact time of return to the ATP tour at the moment.
Of course, this also increases the number of voices that the Spaniard will end his career very soon. The argument that was usually brought up to the meeting: The Spaniard's extremely wear-and-tear play system is mainly responsible for the fact that the 35-year-old will not be able to act at the top level for a long time. Even though the majority of these voices emphasized years ago that Nadal would hardly be able to enjoy such a long career as the Mallorcan has already done.
Nadal inspired by Sampras and Agassi
However, according to Nadal, his play equipment is a product of the many players the Spaniard looked up to in his youth, but the Mallorcan did not orient himself towards a special type of player: "As a child I liked to train, from morning to night, but I've never imitated anyone. I've looked at a lot of games and integrated some of them into my game, but I haven't copied anyone, "the world number six told the Japanese portal Number Web.
Andrew Agassi and Pete Sampras were particularly fond of the Spaniard: "I grew up admiring Sampras and Agassi. I loved watching their duels. I learned from Pete's aggressive style and Andre's fighting style. My current trainer, Carlos Moyà, influenced me too. "
Despite the current physical complaints, the world number six does not want to really think too much about a possible end to his career: "I try not to think too much about my age. On the day when I no longer feel mentally and physically fresh, I will quit ", said Nadal, who however already has concrete plans for how he will spend his retirement. As an academy operator. With the aim of challenging young talent. A great passion of Nadal, as he emphasized.