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World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has already started his preparations for the 2021 tour season. The Spaniard has been training at his academy over the last few weeks, and he recently got a special visit from Next Gen star Felix Auger-Aliassime.
While the Rafa Nadal Academy has been the 20-time Major winner's training base for many years, it has also opened its doors to other players. World No. 21 Felix Auger-Aliassime has been taking full advantage of that facility, even getting to hit with Rafael Nadal himself.
The 20-year old phenom had already announced a few weeks ago that he was going to Mallorca to train at the world-famous academy. Auger-Aliassime seemed happy with his first day of practice, as suggested by his account of the day on social media.
2020 may not have been a great season for Auger-Aliassime, but the 20-year old did reach back-to-back finals in Rotterdam and Marseille prior to the COVID-enforced suspension of the tour. The youngster also reached a career-high ranking of No. 17 too, and made another final at Cologne-1 (where he went down to World No.6 Alexander Zverev).
At the US Open, Auger-Aliassime reached the fourth round but couldn't offer much resistance to eventual champion Dominic Thiem. The Canadian then ended the season on a torrid note, losing four matches on the bounce.
Felix Auger-Aliassime trained under the eyes of Rafael Nadal's former coach Toni
Rafael Nadal's former coach Toni Nadal watched Felix Auger-Aliassime too as he rallied with his nephew. Uncle Toni would certainly have more than a few tips to give to the youngster in his pursuit for success, given that it was under his tutelage that Rafael Nadal won 14 of his 20 Grand Slams.
A fan also uploaded pictures of Auger-Aliassime training at the academy on Twitter, and juxtaposed the Canadian's forehand motion in the picture with Rafael Nadal's lasso-whip forehand.
Rafael Nadal and Felix Auger-Aliassime, at least in these pictures, seem to have a similar wind-up of the racquet before they make contact with the ball. The major difference between the two players' forehands, however, is the fact that the Canadian takes the ball very early and is more aggressive with his shot.
Auger-Aliassime hits a big ball on his forehand, but that also exposes him to the risk of errors.
Rafael Nadal developed his heavy forehand under Toni in his early career, choosing to use a lasso-like swing in order to rip the ball with loads of topspin. Perhaps Felix Auger-Aliassime could use some advice on his forehand from Uncle Toni as well, before he heads into the 2021 tour season.
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