"I didn't think I could lose because I didn't imagine he could be so good" - Rafael Nadal's first ATP opponent reflects on their encounter

Ramon Delgado, Rafael Nadal's first ATP tour opponent, recently reflected on his encounter against the Spaniard.

Nadal played and won his first ATP match on April 29, 2002, in his hometown of Mallorca at the age of 15 and 10 months. He defeated Delgado to become the ninth player in the Open Era to win a contest before the age of 16.

Delgado, ranked No. 81 at the time, was a difficult opponent. The Paraguayan had climbed as high as No. 52 a few years before his contest with the then-teenage Spaniard. He had previously reached the second week of a major at Roland Garros in 1998, defeating No. 1 Pete Sampras along the way.

While he was hoping to gain momentum going into the ATP event in Mallorca in 2002, he was stopped in his tracks by the Mallorcan, who broke through on his ATP debut, winning 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 23 minutes.

Delgado recalled his encounter with Nadal in an interview with the ATP, stating he didn't think he could lose since he didn't think the youngster could be "so good."

"I didn't think I could lose because I didn't imagine he could be so good. We are talking about a 15-year-old boy who was already a phenomenon. He defended, he had intensity, he recovered very difficult balls. It was out of the ordinary. I thought, 'This guy is different.' Until the end I thought I was going to end up beating him by experience. But it was complicated for me, I came without confidence. And he took advantage," Delgado said.

The Paraguayan continued by saying that while Nadal's ultimate emergence in the top 10 was highly likely, even the Spaniard himself could not have predicted that he would win 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

"No one could have predicted that he was going to win 21 [22 now] Grand Slam titles. Not even himself. But you could see that he was going to be in the Top-10. He wasn't just any guy. In addition to having an unusual intensity for someone his age, he already had a great mentality. I was very surprised that he didn't get the slightest scare to close the game against me. His greatest capabilities today were already glimpsed back then," he added.

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"For me it was completely unexpected" - Rafael Nadal on his win against Ramon Delgado

Rafael Nadal pictured at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals - Previews.

Rafael Nadal also discussed his debut victory over Ramon Delgado, stating it was "completely unexpected" to win against such an "incredible" opponent as the Paraguayan.

"It was many years ago, wasn't it? But I remember it very well, I was very young. At the time I was between Futures and some Challengers... He was still, so to speak, on a second level of professionalism," the 36-year-old said.

"The win against Ramón Delgado was incredible, I really enjoyed playing in front of my people. For me it was completely unexpected," he added.