Rafael Nadal plays tennis against himself, and doesn't like it one bit

Rafael Nadal has had his share of rivalries over the years. And at 34 he still continues to dominate the tennis world, along with his Big 3 peers Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal certainly cherishes his rivals, and has never been too proud to admit that he would rather face easier competition from time to time. But one opponent that the Spaniard has now found he hates playing against, is Rafael Nadal himself.

As a part of his Facebook Live session organized by his long-time sponsors Kia Motors, Nadal was asked to play tennis against himself. And the World No. 2 did not seem to enjoy it one bit!

Rafael Nadal with his coach Carlos Moya

As part of fan requests, Rafael Nadal did some training drills along with his coach Carlos Moya. But for this particular drill, Moya was not required. The 19-time Grand Slam champion was asked by the fans to display his speed and play tennis against himself.

Rafael Nadal goes 'Round the world'!

Rafa was asked to hit the ball high in the air from one side of the court before quickly running around the net to get to the other side, and try and retrieve the ball before it bounced twice.

The drill was one of the most entertaining moments of the session, and the fans expressed that through their amused comments. Nadal recognized this too, but not without cracking a joke.

"It is your favorite (drill) because you are not doing it," he said while letting out a chuckle.

In his first 'rally' against himself, Rafael Nadal was able to play three shots on either side of the net. His performance worsened in the second rally, where he could only retrieve one shot. At his third and final try, Nadal managed to retrieve three balls and put together a four-shot rally.

Rafa vs Rafa“So, did you like it?”Rafa, wholeheartedly: “No.”😂 pic.twitter.com/zZ5VhOQNTg

— Kim. 🌈🗣 (@highdreams) July 24, 2020

But even four shots would usually make for the shortest of rallies in an average match featuring Rafael Nadal. And the Spaniard was not impressed with his performance against himself.

The 19-time Grand Slam champion is known to have a rigorous training routine that matches up to his highly physical playing style. But to say that even a beast like Nadal was left winded by that training drill would be an understatement.

Rafael Nadal did not seem to enjoy this new training drill

The World No. 2 was left huffing and puffing after a mere three rallies, and he collapsed into his chair the moment he got done with it. When asked by the Kia Motors anchor whether he enjoyed the drill, Rafael Nadal was positive that he did not.

"It is difficult, you need to measure exactly the way you hit the ball to try to be ready. But after a couple of shots, you get tired and it's very difficult to be accurate," Nadal said.