"I watched a Rafael Nadal match and something clicked, I play because of him" - Arthur Cazaux

Rising French tennis star Arthur Cazaux recently opened up on how watching former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal play sparked his interest in tennis.

Cazaux has become a household name on the ATP Tour in recent years. He has a career singles ranking of 119 and has won two singles Challenger titles and three ITF titles.

The 21-year-old is now in Malaga, Spain, for a Challenger tournament, where he will begin his campaign tomorrow (October 10) against home favorite Pablo Carreno-Busta.

Before that, the Frenchman gave an interview to Punto de Break, where he explained why he developed an interest in tennis, even though there were many other sports to choose from.

Arthur Cazaux shared that Rafael Nadal has been his idol since he was a child, and when he watched the Spaniard play in a match, something instantly clicked within him.

Since then, he has been an ardent fan of the 22-time Grand Slam champion, and his admiration for the Spanish ace fueled his passion for tennis.

"Rafa has always been my idol since I was little, it was because of him that I started playing tennis. Nobody in my family played tennis. I remember that when I was very little, my father watched Roland Garros every year on TV, the only tournament he watched. I watched a Rafa Nadal match and something clicked," Cazaux said.

"I asked my mother to buy me a tennis racket, I must have been three or four years old and that's how I started. Since then, I have not stopped following Nadal and I have not stopped tennis either. I play because of him," he added.

When asked if he had ever met the 37-year-old, Cazaux replied in the affirmative, mentioning their meeting at Roland Garros when he was a junior player.

"I met him once at Roland Garros when I was a junior, five years ago, but I just asked him for a photo in the weight room, but I didn't talk much," he said.

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Rafael Nadal discloses that 2024 season could mark his final year on the ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal pictured at the 2023 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal has been out of action since the 2023 Australian Open in January due to a hip injury, which led to his absence from the remaining tournaments of the season, including the French Open, Wimbledon Championships and US Open.

While the Spaniard had been tight-lipped about his whereabouts and comeback intentions for quite some time, he recently told Movistar Plus+ that 2024 could be his final year playing professional tennis. He did, however, leave the door open, stating that if he feels competitive, he will play beyond.

"Let's see. I think it's [2024] going to be my last year. I'm pretty convinced. Although, at the same time, at this point, at the end of September, I don't know. What can happen? If suddenly things are working very well, I feel fine physically, my head usually works. If I feel competitive and enjoy what I do, why would I limit myself? I can't say 100%," he said.

Rafael Nadal is currently honing his skills to prepare for a possible return at the Australian Open next year. He took to Instagram a few days ago and shared a video of himself back on the practice courts, sending his fans into a frenzy.