"Rafael Nadal winning at the age of 35 just seems to foreign to me, he is a beast" - Jim Courier

Jim Courier lavished praise on Rafael Nadal in a recent interview, remarking how highly unprecedented and impressive it is that the Spaniard still keeps racking up wins at the age of 35.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion has had his best ever start to the season this year with a run of 20 wins that came to an end at the Indian Wells Masters. Having won the Melbourne Summer Set, the Australian Open and the Mexican Open on the trot, the Mallorcan also reached the final at Indian Wells.

Unfortunately, the former World No. 1 fell at the last hurdle unexpectedly against Taylor Fritz in straight sets. The 20-1 start marks the third-best start by any player since 1990, dwarfed only by Novak Djokovic's 2011 (41-0) and 2020 (26-0) seasons.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, Courier was all praise for the World No. 3's incredible longevity.

The Australian joked about how he had already switched over to the ATP Champions Tour when he was 35. Seeing the the Mallorcan dominate younger players at the same age, the 4-time Grand Slam champion noted that it was "inspiring" to see him manage his body in order to keep up with the times.

"[Rafael Nadal winning at the age of 35] just seems so foreign to me. I was already playing on the Champions Tour when I was 35," Courier said. "The way that he just loves to compete and be able to manage his body and all his issues, it's just inspiring. He's just an amazing cat."

Bringing up the fourth-round clash against Reilly Opelka in the desert to prove his point, Courier pointed out how the American did everything right but still couldn't manage to beat the World No. 3.

"Reilly [Opelka] fought great [in the fourth round] and played well, he was a beast. But the thing is, Rafa is a beast too," Courier said. "The tennis ball doesn't know how old Rafa is. This is his best ever start [to the year] in his career."

Rafael Nadal will be back in action at the Monte-Carlo Masters

Rafael Nadal is expected to play at the Monte-Carlo Masters up next

While most of the tennis world will be moving on to the Miami Masters, Rafael Nadal will be enjoying a three-week long break in preparation for the clay swing. The former World No. 1 officially pulled out of the tournament a week ago and hinted later on that he would be back in action at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion is a 11-time winner at the event, winning eight years on the trot between 2005 and 2012 followed by three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018. In the most recent 2021 edition, the World No. 3 suffered a shock defeat in the quarterfinals against eventual finalist Andrey Rublev.

It will also be the first tournament of the year where both Nadal and Novak Djokovic will feature, as the Serb confirmed his participation at the event earlier this month.