“This Nadal Guy Plays Pretty Well…. He Will Eventually Win a Grand Slam!” – Netizens Have a Field Day Reacting to Rafael Nadal Training Intensely

Videos of Rafael Nadal training intensely against an upcoming youngster have gone viral on social media. One clip shared by a popular fan account on Instagram showed him winning a point against the teenager ranked over 300 places above him. Fans reacted to this hilariously with sarcastic comments pretending the Spaniard is a new, rising player.

17-year-old Gabriel Debru, who trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, participated in a practice session with the eponymous player. Multiple videos were shared online, and fans were thrilled to see Nadal hitting well. A clip shared by @tennislegend on Instagram shows the former World No.1 serve hard before the duo engage in a brief rally in which he targeted the French youngster’s backhand. Nadal then executed an almost perfect drop shot to win the point.

Gebru is ranked World No.311, 353 places above Nadal’s World No. 664. The latter’s current ranking is a result of his year-long injury lay-off. This forced him to use his Protected Ranking to enter the 2024 Australian Open. Some fans reacted hilariously to the video as if Nadal was a new, low-ranked player and Gebru was doing him a favour training with him.

 

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Regardless of his long absence and low rank, Nadal visibly matched up to Gebru, two decades his junior. With about a month to go before he returns at the Brisbane International, there is time for him to get as close to his best as possible. His performance against the Frenchman bodes well for his comeback season.

Rafael Nadal: The most popular tennis player on the internet

Facing a 22-time Grand Slam winning legend during practice is something Gabriel Debru will never forget. Afterwards, he took to his personal Instagram account to thank Rafael Nadal for the training session. Sharing a photo with the veteran and a couple of training clips, he said it was a dream come true. This post has become the most-liked on Debru’s account, significantly ahead of all his other posts. The Spaniard’s clout on the internet is unmatched.

Additionally to his on-court exploits and star power, Nadal’s pull on social media is also unparalleled. He is by far the most popular tennis player on Instagram with over 20 million followers. He blows past his Big 3 counterparts, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and is three million clear of second-placed Serena Williams. The 37-year-old also clears them in X (formerly Twitter) follower count with 15.6 million. Federer comes in second with 12.7.

Nadal’s online popularity received a massive boost as fans waited eagerly for his comeback. The presumably flocked to his account to keep themselves updated with his progress. It was during this injury lay-off that he crossed 20m followers on Instagram. Additionally, his brand endorsements and the Rafa Nadal Academy engagements also drive traffic to his account. Nadal has been a lot more open than usual with his followers in the past months during his recovery break. Fans will hope he keeps interacting and updating them during what could potentially be his final season.