Coco Gauff reveals what she did when she saw Rafael Nadal in training at the French Open

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Coco Gauff explained the impact watching Rafael Nadal practice has had on her.

The 21-year-old is one of tennis’ best and most exciting players and she already has a Grand Slam title on her resume.

She is keen to learn how to keep improving her game and one of the players to help inspire that is Rafael Nadal.

Gauff has expressed her admiration for the Spaniard in the past and she has once again described how his approach to tennis has affected her.

How did Coco Gauff respond to watching Rafael Nadal practice?

Several players have spoken about how inspiring it is to watch Nadal train. The 37-year-old’s approach to preparing for matches and the intensity at which he goes about his business is one of the sights to behold not just in tennis but all of sport.

Gauff alluded to this during an interview on Tennis Channel, as she described what she admires most about the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

“The way he practices is like no other player that I’ve seen. Even if I have to go to my own practice, I’ll stop and watch for a couple minutes, which is what I did two days ago,” he said.

“It’s just something that inspires you to bring that intensity in everything that you do in life, not just tennis.

“We all know how nice of a guy he is and um how intentionally funny he is also. I think his aura is one of one and especially here. It’s something that won’t happen again in the sport.”

Who does Coco Gauff play next?

After dispatching Julia Avdeeva 6-1, 6-1 in round one, Gauff will play Tamara Zidanšek in round two at Roland Garros.

The Slovenian player achieved her best result at a Grand Slam when she reached the French Open semi-finals in 2021.

The 26-year-old came through the qualifiers to reach the clay court major’s main draw this year and this will be her first meeting with Gauff.

Discussing her next opponent, the American said: “I have never played her before. I know she made the semis here a couple years ago.

“I’ve actually seen her play a couple times but I haven’t seen her play this tournament yet. I’ll probably have to do that. But she’s definitely a fighter.

“I think she has good ball tolerance. She can make a lot of balls in the court, and is a pretty good mover. So it’s going to be a tough match, especially on clay, which I think is her preferred surface.”