“Raises Your Levels”: Roberto Bautista Agut’s Coach Lauds Rafael Nadal During Training at ATP Cup and Australian Open 2021

The Australian Open 2021 is just three weeks away and players have started to land in Australia. It is time for some hard training as no one wants to miss a chance on the upcoming Grand Slam. Some players are even practicing with others beforehand in order to acquire some extra experience ahead of the Slam. One such pair that came to attention was Rafael Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut.

Before traveling to Australia, Bautista along with his coach Jose Vendrell went to Mallorca to train with Rafa. The two Spaniards practiced together and Vendrell was quite happy with the training session. As the two would also play together at the ATP Cup 2021 before the Grand Slam, it was really advantageous for Bautista.

In a recent interview, Vendrell revealed that it was a really productive session for Bautista when he trained with Nadal. He believed that a legend like Rafa raised Bautista as a player in all aspects.

“It’s that Rafa raises your levels in all aspects. He sets a bar and a supernatural demand with a lot of intensity in training. That helps a lot,” said the coach in the interview.

Vendrell also highlighted that Rafa set a bar and his intensity during training was unparalleled. He also said that it actually helped Bautista a lot.

“Very good days”: The coach on the time he and Bautista spent with Rafael Nadal

Vendrell still remembered all those days of tireless workouts. He even said that those days were not only beneficial for Bautista but also helped him to learn and prosper as a coach.

“They were very good days, of great quality for both of us,” concluded Vendrell.

Bautista Agut didn’t really have a great season in 2020. He was not able to win a single title and his best performance came at the Cincinnati Masters 2020 where he managed to reach the semi-finals. The Spaniard will certainly try to use whatever he learned from Rafa on the court and come back strong in 2021.

On the other hand, Nadal will be eyeing his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this year. He hasn’t won the Slam since 2009 despite playing four Australian Open finals after that. Will Nadal outpace Roger Federer in the Grand Slam tally for the very first time in Melbourne?