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World No. 33 Lorenzo Sonego believes that watching Rafael Nadal go about his business on the court is a hugely instructive exercise - even more so than asking him for advice personally.
Sonego recently spent a week at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, where he had the chance to train alongside the 20-time Grand Slam champion. In an interview with Ubitennnis, the 25-year-old pointed out how other players can learn a lot just by overserving Nadal's attitude during his practice sessions.
"More than asking (him) for advice, you just need to look at Rafael Nadal a little," Sonego said. "It is enough to see his attitude, understand what he trains and what he works on, to learn something. Watching what he does on the court is more important than talking to him."
During his week at Rafael Nadal's prestigious academy in Spain, Sonego got a chance to train with several other players too - including Canada's Felix-Auger Aliassime and Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori.
It takes a lot to train with Rafael Nadal: Lorenzo Sonego
Sonego hit the headlines earlier this year by defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Vienna quarterfinals. He claimed that Rafael Nadal practices at a very high speed, which took him some time to get used to.
"It was the first time," the Italian said. "Rafael Nadal has an impressive pace. (You have to) get used to playing at a much higher pace. That's why it takes a lot to train with him."
Sonego added that he was very impressed by the academy in Mallorca, specifically highlighting the training arrangements and the hotel amenities.
"I was struck by the tranquility that is in this place," the 25-year-old said. "There is a lot of serenity, you can only hear balls travelling from one side to the other. They are really well organized, very kind. They also made available to us guys from the academy as sparring partners, all very strong. The weather was good, so we always played outdoors. We were also guests of the academy hotel, which is very nice and where the food is fine. We found great hospitality, the Spaniards made us feel at home. We really enjoyed it."
During the interview, Lorenzo Sonego also confirmed that he will now train in Turin until he leaves for Australia in mid-January. The Italian will partner with Serbian Dusan Lajovic during the first week of quarantine in Melbourne, and the pair will then combine with Salvatore Caruso and Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina in the second week.
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