Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel applauds shared training session between Spaniard and Richard Gasquet ahead of 2024 season

Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel Nadal recently reacted to an image of Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet training together at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Nadal missed the majority of the 2023 season due to a hip injury, but is now on his way to making a comeback after the long hiatus. The Spaniard has been training intensely at his academy in his hometown of Mallorca.

On the other hand, Richard Gasquet has enjoyed a relatively successful year. The Frenchman won his 16th ATP title in Auckland, making him the oldest French player to win a title in the Open Era.

That also helped Gasquet rise up the ranks to become the French No. 1. He later claimed his 600th career win at the BOSS Open against Stefanos Tsitsipas, making him the 4th active player to achieve the feat.

Gasquet and Nadal go a long way back, having faced each other since the age of 12. A recent image of the two friends was posted by the Rafa Nadal Academy's Instagram account after their training session.

The Spaniard's sister Maribel applauded the shared training session between the two players with emojis:

"👏🏻👏🏻😍😍"

Maribel Nadal applauds Nadal and Gasquet's image

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The head-to-head between Rafael Nadal & Richard Gasquet is lopsided

Nadal and Gasquet' at the 2022 US Open

Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet have met a total of 18 times on tour. The Spaniard has won all 18 of their meetings, making their rivalry the second highest undefeated tour level head-to-head record (for men in the Open Era); it is only behind Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils (Djokovic leads 19-0).

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, hasn't dropped a set against Gasquet since 2008; he has won 34 sets in a row. The last time he dropped a set against the Frenchman was at the Masters 1000 in Canada in 2008.

The two of them first met in 2004 at the Estoril Open, where Nadal won in three sets. Their latest meeting came in the third round of the US Open, where the Spaniard sailed through comfortably 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.

Nadal and Gasquet also met in the St. Jean De Luz Open, a Challenger tournament, in 2003. The Frenchman won the match as Nadal had to retire after the first set.

There is also a video of a match between the two at the age of 12. Gasquet beat Nadal in the semi-finals of the Under-14 Tournoi des Petits As in 1999.