"I felt that Rafa was walking behind me, that he was sighing in my ear; I felt that a lion was coming" - Francisco Cerundolo recalls walking onto court with Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon

Francisco Cerundolo recalled walking out onto Center Court at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships ahead of his clash against Rafael Nadal in a recent interview, an experience that still continues to send shivers down his spine.

Cerundolo took on the Spaniard in the first round at SW19, their first ever meeting on the ATP Tour. Although the Argentine managed to take one set off the 22-time Grand Slam champion, he eventually fell 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 in four sets.

Speaking to La Nacion, the World No. 25 was still in awe of the energy that radiated off the Mallorcan, likening him to a lion that was hot on his heels as they walked out to rapturous applause at the packed stadium.

"Half an hour before the game I started to feel nervous. And since I walked from the locker room to the court, passing through the internal corridors, I felt that Rafa was walking [behind me], that he was sighing in my ear. I felt that a lion was coming," Cerundolo said.

Thankfully, Cerundolo got over his nerves as soon as he stepped onto the court, telling himself to go all out against the World No. 3. Had he not done that and gotten overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation, the 23-year-old is certain he would have been decimated in straight sets.

"We were a few meters from the entrance, I psyched myself up and said: 'I'm going in to kill or I'm going to have a very bad time'. Since I stepped on the grass, I thought: 'Look where I am,'" Cerundolo said. "I went into party mode and my nerves went away. If I [hadn't done] that, I would've lost 6-1, 6-1, 6-1."

Francisco Cerundolo attributed his lack of nerves mainly to Wimbledon's lack of ranking points, which led him to feel secure in the knowledge that he had nothing to lose by being aggressive. The Argentine also revealed how excited he was to face Nadal as soon as the draw was announced, remarking that he felt touched by the former World No. 1's greatness during their time on the court together.

"It was a nice tournament, there were no points, what better than that. We started to warm up and at one point I grabbed my cell phone, went on Twitter and boom! I see Cerúndolo-Nadal. I said: 'Well, Rafa touched me'. In those days, from the draw on Friday to the game on Tuesday, I was eager to get on the court and play."

"You enter the locker room and the first locker is his. So every time you walk in, you see it" - Francisco Cerundolo on the pressure of playing Rafael Nadal

The mere sight of Rafael Nadal's locker is enough to create dread in his opponents' minds

Francisco Cerundolo went on to talk about the psychological impact a clash with Rafael Nadal entailed during the interview, saying that even the sight of the Spaniard's locker creates a sense of dread in his opponents' minds.

"You enter the locker room and the first locker is his. So every time you walk in, you see it. Later, when we were outside the locker room waiting for the security to take us to the court, I walked first and he followed, but he did, I swear…, on my heels," Cerundolo said. "[Nadal] didn't give me any space. It's terrible."

At the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, the Argentine reckons he should have taken Nadal to the fifth set, seeing as he dominated the Spaniard for two full sets. Although he felt a bit sad that that did not turn out to be the case, seeing the crowd on Center Court applaud him and show their respect for the fight he put up made him feel proud of himself.

"Then, being in the main hall at Wimbledon, with all the trophies, a lot of people… it's crazy. They open the door for you and you walk in. When I left the court I was very hot: I had not been able to win the fourth set and I really wanted to go to the fifth, because I felt that I had dominated Nadal for two full sets," Cerundolo said.

"But when I started to feel the applause of the people and of himself, whom I saw standing there applauding me, I was happy and proud. I felt that he had made a great game, that he had fulfilled. And that match changed my mind," he added.

Also Checkout: Rafael Nadal's wife