"When I started playing, everything was Rafael Nadal, everyone had his racket, everyone was talking about him" - Pablo Llamas Ruiz

Hailing from Spain, it is no surprise that 22-year-old Pablo Llamas Ruiz grew up idolizing fellow countryman Rafael Nadal.

Speaking to ATPTour.com in a recent interview about his tennis journey, the Spaniard remembered how when he started playing the sport, 'everything was Nadal.' Everyone around Llamas Ruiz spoke about the 22-time Grand Slam champion and used the same racquet as him, hoping to perhaps follow in his footsteps one day.

“When I started playing, everything was Nadal. I remember everyone had his racket, everyone was talking about him," he said.

Llamas Ruiz, now ranked World No. 135, also said that his country has been lucky enough to have a lot of top 100 players in its history, even have 4-5 players in the top 20 at the same time.

From Rafael Nadal and David Federer to the likes of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, the Spanish youngster was fortunate to have sporting heroes he could draw inspiration from.

“Historically, Spain has always had many players in the Top 100, there was even a time when we had four or five players in the Top 20, that’s incredible. Having seen Spanish players like Rafa Nadal, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, Pablo Carreno on TV... it really helps you and I’ve even shared training sessions with them, at the High Performance Centre I practised with Carreno,” he said.

"I remember Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer could play from the baseline for hours, in that regard, I prefer using my hands" - Pablo Llamas Ruiz

Day Eleven: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

Pablo Llamas Ruiz, however, has a very different playstyle compared to what most Spaniards are accustomed to. While the likes of Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer are prone to play from the baseline for hours, the 22-year-old prefers to come to the net and use his hands.

“I like to approach the net and volley, I have good hands... you didn’t used to see that so much, it was based more on baseline tennis, long rallies. I remember players like Nadal and Ferrer could play from the baseline for hours, in that regard, I prefer using my hands [touch at the net].”

Rafael Nadal is on the sidelines at the moment, recovering from the hip strain he picked up at the Australian Open at the start of the year. He is expected to return to action at the Melbourne Slam next year, in what is most likely to be his final year on the ATP Tour.