The impact of Rafael Nadal is such that young players have idolized Nadal since they were kids. The Spaniard’s eponymous Academy allows young tennis players to work closely with him learn what he did and play the sport like never before. And with his comeback to the world of tennis, more and more players are feeling motivated to give their best to the sport.

One such young player who trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy, Alexandra Eala, recently talked about what are some of the things she finds worth idolizing the tennis legend in an interview.

Alexandra Eala tries to channel her inner Rafael Nadal

Getting the opportunity to train so closely with the tennis star himself is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. And Alexandra Eala has been making the most of it. She not only trained at the academy but also frequently visited the Rafael Nadal Museum where all the historic wins of his career have been displayed.

During the interview she shared, “It is hugely inspirational to be able to see him practicing every day and to see him at the gym. It’s really motivating to see his work ethic and something that we can copy from him. And of course, to be in the presence of all this history especially here at the museum. I love how he fought on the court and I also try to channel that when I play tennis.”

Further, she also stated that she finds a lot of similarities between herself and Nadal and the biggest one is that they are both left-handed players. Just like the rest of us, Eala idolizes the legend. However, also like the rest of us, was she disappointed when he withdrew from the Australian Open 2024 after his comeback?

Even though Nadal will not be in Melbourne this year, some memories from the past years can still be cherished.

Throwback to Nadal’s classic wins at past AOs

2009 was the first time when Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open title. He had his final match at the time during the tournament with another tennis legend Roger Federer. To everyone’s surprise, Nadal won that year. Then next year in 2010, even though Nadal made it to the semifinals of the tournament, Andy Murray took over the title. It was because Nadal suffered incredible knee pain at the time.

However, later that year he won 3 other majors. The next most memorable and epic Australian Open that Nadal was a part of was in 2012 which he played against Novak Djokovic. It was the longest grand slam final in the history of tennis as it went on for almost 6 hours. Then in 2022, Rafael Nadal won his 2 Australian Open title as he played against Daniil Medvedev and won the tournament with a decider match. Looking back at these moments, his presence will surely be missed in 2024!

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