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Rafael Nadal's intensity and brute force are not reserved just for his matches; he is known to be just as meticulous in his practice sessions. And Jose Vendrell, the coach of Spanish No. 2 Roberto Bautista Agut, can testify to that.
Before setting off for Australia, Roberto Bautista Agut spent some time at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain. While at the famed tennis center, Bautista Agut underwent some intense practice sessions with the 20-time Slam champion.
Nadal and Bautista Agut are good friends off the court, and represent Spain together in most team competitions. They will join forces to play under the Spanish flag once again at the upcoming ATP Cup, under the captaincy of Vendrell.
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In a recent interview, Vendrell spoke about the training sessions between his ward and Nadal. Vendrell revealed that the 13-time French Open champion is just as hard-working and intense during his practice sessions as he is during his matches.
"Rafa raises your level in all aspects," Vendrell said. "He sets a (high) bar and a supernatural demand with a lot of intensity in training. That helps a lot. They were very good days, of great quality for both of us."
Venrdrell asserted that Rafael Nadal pushes his practice partners to their absolute limit. He also pointed out that the Spaniard's competitive streak is evident even in his training sessions.
"(With) Rafael Nadal, the margins of error do not exist, if you make a little mistake he takes advantage of it very well," Vendrell added. "It takes a lot of intensity, start each point aggressively, even if you hit hard and you know well that you can reach the defensive phase because he counterattacks... he raises the physical, tennis, mental and tactical levels. It is like a centrifuge. He takes you out of your comfort zone, removes everything from within and demands a lot from you."
Rafael Nadal's academy is a place where you can breathe tennis, it's ideal to prepare: Jose Vendrell
Jose Vendrell was also extremely complimentary about his hosts at the Rafa Nadal Academy, which he claims is an ideal place for players to train.
"The experience has been very good, both Rafa's team and the Academy team have treated us wonderfully," Vendrell said. "It is a place where you can breathe tennis, ideal to prepare. It is a reference center. (We are) Also, if you are lucky enough to train with Rafael Nadal like we have, delighted. It has been very good for us for Roberto to refine a little that point of quality that is not easy to achieve in such long preseason."
Vendrell believes that training with Bautista Agut would have also been beneficial for Rafael Nadal, especially since Bautista Agust is equally intense and serious about his practice sessions.
"I don't think there is much difference between how they train and how they compete, bridging the gap because competing always creates more stress," Vendrell added. "But at the level of intensity and seriousness, the two get very involved. For both of them it has been positive because having a player of Roberto's quality and intensity will also have added to him (Rafael Nadal) and will have focused him a little more even if possible for the beginning of the year."
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