John Isner described Rafael Nadal as “a horrible practice partner” before also adding that the Spaniard probably pulled a bit sneaky tactic and asked him for a practice session only because he wanted to do some analysis and get a better understanding of what to expect in their projected match.
Eight years ago, both the American and the Spaniard competed in Beijing. And after the draw was released, they learned that they were projected to meet in the quarterfinal.
Shortly after the Beijing draw was made, Isner’s agent came to the former world No. 8 and told him that Nadal wanted to hit some balls with him. The big-serving American accepted although he instantly started suspecting what was the reasoning behind the Spaniard’s request.
Isner: Nadal was horrible to practice hit… He wanted to see my game
“Horrible to practice with, he hits the ball so hard and he hits winners and it’s Rafa, so you don’t say anything, right? Let him go on. ‘Rafa asked me to practice… Like, this is weird,’ and I saw the draw and was like, ‘Is that what he’s doing? Is he anticipating we’re going to play in the quarterfinals?’” the 2018 Wimbledon semifinalist said on the Nothing Major Podcast.
“And when I started thinking about it, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly what he was doing.’ He wanted to see my game, my serve, how I’m hitting the ball on the practice court.”
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Now you are probably wondering if Isner and Nadal met in Beijing that year – they did – and the former 20-time Grand Slam champion beat the American 6-4 7-6 (0) and went on to win the title. After that match, they clashed one more time as the Spanish tennis icon won their 2022 Rome Masters meeting to finish with an 8-1 record in their head-to-head.
Tennis World USA