"Mentally, what a player! Surely the best I've seen" - Pete Sampras heaps praise on Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal was showered with words of praise from fellow tennis legend Pete Sampras, who believes the Spaniard is the 'mentally strongest' player in the history of the sport. Sampras lauded the 14-time French Open champion's dominance at the claycourt Grand Slam tournament.

Sampras won the 2002 US Open and retired with the record for most Grand Slam singles titles won by a player in men's tennis history. Nadal, who won his first Grand Slam title almost three years after Sampras' 14th, now has eight more Majors than the American legend and holds the all-time record.

During a L'Equipe recent interview, seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras expressed surprise at Nadal's level of dominance on clay and at the French Open, which he admits is certainly beyond his and Roger Federer's dominance on grass and at Wimbledon.

"Everything that (Nadal) does is exceptional," Sampras said. "Roger (Federer) and I had a period of dominance on grass, but winning the same big 14 times is incredible. And mentally, what a player! Surely the best I've seen."

While Sampras is convinced about who is the mentally strongest player of all time, he admitted that it was an "impossible" choice to term one among Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Federer as the greatest tennis player ever.

The 51-year-old also spoke about Djokovic's legacy in the sport. Sampras set another big record during his time at the top of world tennis, becoming the first player to end a season as World No. 1 on six occasions. Djokovic broke that record last year by winning his 7th year-end No.1 crown.

Sampras praised Djokovic's achievements over the years, highlighting that he now holds most of the big records except for the Grand Slam record.

"Novak has done incredible things in the last ten years, he has good numbers against most players, he is the one with the record of being number 1. He has won everywhere. He has all the records except for the Grand Slam," Sampras stated.

When asked about his preference between Djokovic and Nadal, Sampras cheekily likened it to choosing between "a Ferrari or a Lamborghini."

Meanwhile, the Spaniard will aim to extend his Grand Slam record at the 2022 US Open, which begins on Monday. Djokovic withdrew from the tournament as he could not enter the United States as an unvaccinated foreigner.

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"I am practicing at high level of intensity" - Rafael Nadal ahead of 2022 US Open

2022 US Open - Previews

Rafael Nadal gave his fans some good news ahead of the upcoming US Open. The Spaniard, who has recently recovered from an abdominal injury that affected his US Open preparations, admitted that he is still being careful while serving but is happy with his progress on the practice court.

He is scheduled to play his opening match on Tuesday night against Australia's Rinky Hijikata.

"I'm taking care with the serve, being honest," he said. "But in general terms, yes, I am practicing at high level of intensity. I'm quite happy the way that I am playing. Of course, we need to compete later. But is already two weeks on the tour, even if only one match professional, official."

The 36-year-old has played just one match since his Wimbledon withdrawal due to an abdominal injury. That match came at the Cincinnati Open last week, in which he lost a closely contested three-setter 6-7(9), 6-4, 3-6 to eventual champion Borna Coric in a Round of 32 clash.