"I had the great fortune of getting the best coach and the best player of all-time" - Sebastian Yatra on training with Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal recently took to social media to repost Sebastian Yatra's Instagram reel, where the famous Colombian singer could be seen trading shots with the 22-time Major winner at the latter's academy.

The Spaniard, who has been out of action since January, recently invited Yatra to train with him. The musician is scheduled to hold a free concert for his fans USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center later this month. He will also be playing some exhibition tennis against top players like Carlos Alcaraz at the stadium.

It felt apt for Nadal to invite Yatra to his famed academy to polish his strokes ahead of the occasion. The Colombian singer was visibly starstruck after arriving at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, in the Instagram reel below.

After the musician was done touring the academy, the 37-year-old met him on the court for a brief practice session. Just before the session started, Yatra proclaimed that the Spaniard was the 'best coach' and 'the best player of all time'.

"I had the great fortune of getting the best coach, or best player of all time," he said.

After a few minutes of trading hits with Yatra, it became abundantly clear to Nadal that the Colombian singer had quite some potential. So, the 14-time Roland Garros champion proceeded to give him some much-needed tips.

"When it stays close to the net, come forward. Apart from hitting the ball well if you don't have flow, you can't do it," the 37-year-old said.

The 22-time Major winner later wished Yatra good luck for his exhibition match in his Instagram story.

"I'm sure you'll make a great game, Good luck and have a good time!" the Spaniard wrote.

A screen capture of Rafael Nadal's Instagram story

Rafael Nadal can make his ATP tour comeback in 2024

The Spaniard's 2023 season was interrupted a few months ago after he injured his hips during a practice session. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to rectify the problem and will likely make his comeback at some point next year.

Nadal only played four matches this year, losing three of them to Cameron Norrie, Alex de Minaur and Mackenzie McDonald respectively. The last of those three losses came at this year's Australian Open, where the Spaniard had reigned supreme in 2022.

The tennis universe expected Nadal to make his much-awaited comeback during the European clay season as he had never missed the swing in a career that has spanned 15 years. However, they were in for a shock as he subsequently withdrew from his defense at Roland Garros.

"I'm not the kind of guy who comes to play at Roland-Garros only to be there. I need to stop. Just for a moment. Maybe a month, two or three before going back to training. It is the best thing to do for my health," the 2022 French Open champion said at the time.