"I was 14 or 15… first time seeing Rafael Nadal in real life" - Jannik Sinner recollects "incredible" memories of watching Spaniard train in Rome

Jannik Sinner recently recollected his memory of watching Rafael Nadal in person for the first time in his life.

Sinner is currently in Spain for his third Madrid Masters campaign. He has entered the men's singles main draw as the top seed in Novak Djokovic's absence and is already through to the second round with a bye in the first.

The Italian's two visits to La Caja Magica in 2021 and 2022 were brief as he faced second and third-round exits, respectively. To start his upcoming campaign, he awaits the winner of the first-round fight between France's Richard Gasquet and his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego.

Sinner recently sat down with the media for a chat ahead of the match and one of the journalists asked him about his first Rafael Nadal memory as the Spaniard gears up for his final few competitive days on the courts of Madrid.

In reply, Sinner revealed that he watched Nadal live training with his characteristic intensity in Rome during the Italian Open roughly seven years ago.

"My first memory? When I was 14 or 15 years old, I went to Rome for the first time and saw him train, that was my first time seeing him in real life, it was incredible to be able to see his intensity," the reigning Australian Open champion said, as quoted by Punto de Break. (translated)

Jannik Sinner continued:

"And to this day it remains the same. The passion keeps him going, so it's great to still be able to see him today."

Interestingly, Sinner and Nadal can clash at the 2024 Madrid Open given they reach the semifinals as the two are drawn in the top half in the men's singles category.

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Jannik Sinner yet to win a match against Rafael Nadal

Jannik Sinner in action at the 2021 French Open

Jannik Sinner has come face-to-face with Rafael Nadal three times thus far and hasn't been able to win a set, let alone a match.

He first played against the Spaniard in the quarterfinals of the 2020 French Open, where he faced a 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-1 defeat. He then received another straight-set beating at the Italian Open a year later when Nadal bettered him 7-5, 6-4.

Jannik Sinner lost to the Spaniard again at Roland Garros a few days after their Rome meeting. This time the scoreline brought more humiliation for the World No. 2 as the 22-time Grand Slam champion dished out a bagel in the pre-quarterfinals, winning 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 to take a 3-0 lead in the head-to-head record.