"Rafael Nadal is the son that every mum would love to have" - When Feliciano Lopez heaped praise on his fellow Spaniard for being loved as a person by the society

When Rafael Nadal arrived in Paris in 2015 for the French Open, he was aiming to become the first-ever player to win the same Grand Slam for a 10th time. And given his stupendous performance in the lead-up to Roland Garros that year, he was the favorite to go all the way.

The Spaniard won his first Major in France at the age of 19 in 2005, which was also his first appearance at the French Open.

When his fellow countryman Feliciano Lopez was asked in 2015 if he thought that the King of Clay could walk away with a 10th title, Lopez seemed confident that he would. But Lopez went a step ahead, and hailed the tennis icon for being the kind of person he was.

He started by pointing out how competitive Nadal was, regardless of the sport he was playing.

"He wants to win all the time in any game he plays. He will do anything in order to beat you. We play poker sometimes - he's a great player, aggressive sometimes, but he's a good poker player, I have to say," Lopez said.

The World No. 415 further noted that the legendary tennis player was adored by the people in his society for the way he conducted himself on and off the court. Lopez then made a huge statement when he said that his compatriot was the kind of son every mother would like to have.

"I think Rafa went further than being a great tennis player. In the society in general, in Spain, everybody loves him as a person. The way he behaves on the court - always fighting till the end - this is what makes the connection with the people possible. He is the son that every mum would love to have," he added.

Unfortunately for Nadal, he didn't win the title that year - or even the next year. But he returned strongly to win five more French Open titles, and now has a record 14 trophies.

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"Very grateful and honored to have trained with my idol Rafael Nadal" - Coleman Wong

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup

Although Rafael Nadal became a father last Saturday, he is not compromising on his practice sessions. A recent video surfaced online in which the 22-time Grand Slam champion could be seen sweating it out with 18-year-old Coleman Wong of Hong Kong at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain.

Wong shared a few photographs and clips from their training session and stated that he started playing tennis because of the Spaniard.

"Very grateful and honored to have trained with my idol @rafaelnadal. The man who made me start playing tennis!!! Thank you for arranging the hit!! @rafanadalacademy," Wong caption an Instagram post.