When Andre Agassi saw signs of a great player in a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal after Spaniard beat him at Canadian Open

Rafael Nadal broke out as a young teenager on the circuit in 2005, when he won his maiden Grand Slam singles title. At the time, Andre Agassi was in the twilight of his career. However, the two locked horns twice, the first of which came in the final of the 2005 Canadian Open.

Nadal beat Agassi 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to win his maiden title on hard courts. It was also the Spaniard's ninth title of 2005.

While speaking in the post-match press conference, Agassi heaped praise on the Spaniard, stating that he had a difficult game. The American said that Nadal's ability to defend and get hold of a point at the same time was a sign of a great player.

Andre Agassi said:

"Well, he has a difficult game. It's certainly easy to see why he's won so many matches. He does a lot of things really well. Just a great mover on the court. Gets good power from very stretched positions so you're never quite sure if you have complete control of the point."

"I found his serve more awkward than I was anticipating because if you don't hit a good return, he immediately gets on the offense. That's a sign of a great player: somebody who can play good defense but also when they get ahold of a point, they don't let go of it."

Agassi continued:

"He's one of those guys that if he gets ahold of a point, he's not going to let go of it. It puts more pressure on you to hit a quality return, and it moves a little bit. I felt like today that was a big difference. I wasn't getting neutral enough right off his serve. That surprised me a little bit."

Rafael Nadal won both of his matches against Andre Agassi

Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi during an exhibition match in 2010.

Rafael Nadal won both of his clashes against Andre Agassi. After defeating the American in the final of the 2005 Canadian Open, the two locked horns in the third round of Wimbledon the following year.

The Spaniard was seeded second while Agassi was seeded 25th, and the former won 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-4 to book his place in the fourth round of the grass-court Major. The Spaniard went on to reach the final before losing 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3 to Roger Federer.

Andre Agassi never played another match at Wimbledon as he retired after the end of that year's US Open.