Watch: How Rafael Nadal would look if he was still playing tennis at Barcelona Open 2050

Rafael Nadal triumphed at the Barcelona Open for a record-extending 12th time on Sunday, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a grueling final. And in his press conference after the victory, Nadal was asked to touch upon his first triumph in the Spanish city, which came back in 2005.

The Spaniard himself gave a modest reply to the question, saying it was "difficult to imagine something like this 10 to 15 years ago". But now a video by the channel "a letter from the lens" has come up with a hilarious version of that answer.

The video projects Rafael Nadal into the future as a 63-year-old, speaking to the media after yet another triumph in the year 2050. Interestingly, the clip uses the same comments that Nadal made after he reigned supreme at Barcelona, albeit with some tweaks.

The Spaniard's voice is noticeably weaker and shakier due to his old age, and he also seems to have undergone significant hair loss. The video can be watched below:

"Well, of course, it means a lot to me no?" Rafael Nadal can be heard saying in the video. "Difficult to imagine something like this 10 or 15 years ago. But here we are."

Nadal then remarks how he has suffered injuries throughout his career, but has still managed to keep going due to his love for the sport combined with the support from his family and team.

"I went through some tough moments in my career because of injuries, but I always hold a passion and love for the sport to keep going, I always had a great team and a great family," Nadal can be heard adding.

Rafael Nadal has displayed spectacular longevity on the ATP circuit

It was 16 years ago that Rafael Nadal first showed signs of being an elite player in the making. After reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final at Miami 2005, the Spaniard went one step further at Monte Carlo a few weeks later as he clinched his maiden Masters title.

Rafael Nadal followed that up with his first title at the Barcelona Open. In doing so, the Spaniard also ensured that he would be ranked in the ATP top 10 for the first time in his young career.

Nadal has stayed put in the top 10 ever since, for a total of 813 consecutive weeks (and counting). The 34-year-old did fall to ninth back in 2016, but was able to stage a career renaissance in 2017 - which helped him climb back to the apex of the rankings.