“He’s playing very well” – Etcheverry practices with Nadal ahead of Spaniard’s return this week

After skipping the grass court season, Spain’s Rafael Nadal returns to this tour this week at the Nordea Open in Bastad as he prepares for the upcoming Paris Olympics, which will be held on his beloved courts at Roland-Garros.

As part of his training block, Nadal spent some time over the past few weeks at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre in Greece where he also invited world No 32 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, of Argentina.

Etcheverry, who has never played against Nadal in a professional match, jumped at the opportunity. After a few intense sessions with the 22-time Grand Slam champion, the Argentine said he feels Nadal is playing very well in practice and that it turned to be an incredible experience for him to spend so much time in proximity with one of the game’s legends.

I’ve had the chance to ask him things, ask for advice, and he was always very humble, helping..

Tomas Martin Etcheverry

“The place we’re practising in is crazy… and Nadal is going at it, I’d say he’s playing very well,” the Argentine told the ATP Tour website. “I’ve had the chance to ask him things, ask for advice, and he was always very humble, helping, making progress, and he had a lot of time for everyone.”

“These days have been a dream for me, a really amazing experience, above all spending time with Rafa, a player I’ve been watching since I started to play tennis, one of the best in history, so it was crazy. It was a privilege and an honour,” said Etcheverry.

The Argentine himself is competing at the Swiss Open in Gstaad this week and as the fourth seed, he has received a bye in the first round. Etcheverry will play Dominic Stricker or Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.

You might also like this

Nadal to face (Leo) Borg in Bastad

tennis majors

Rafael Nadal lands in Sweden, ahead of return to the tour

tennis majors

Alcaraz eager to learn from Nadal in Olympics pairing

tennis majors