"The ball that Rafael Nadal sends you is even more uncomfortable than it seems" - Former junior World No. 1 Daniel Vallejo
The Rafa Nadal Academy in the Spanish legend's hometown of Manacor, Mallorca, has groomed several highly talented players since its inception. One of the academy's current pupils is 18-year-old Daniel Vallejo, the current World No. 4 on the ITF juniors circuit, who has already had a great opportunity to interact and train with Rafael Nadal himself. It would be safe to say that he was awestruck by the experience.
Vallejo, who clinched the junior World No. 1 ranking for a brief period back in August, joined the academy a few months ago and has already trained with the 22-time Grand Slam champion on multiple occasions. Speaking from experience, the Paraguayan teenager suggested that Nadal puts in an even bigger effort in training than he does in competitive matches.
Speaking during a recent interview with Punto de Break, Vallejo revealed that the ferocity of the Spaniard's shots on the court is even stronger than what it seems from the outside and that he hits the ball "ten times harder" in training.
"There are no words to explain it (training with Rafael Nadal), the ball that he sends you is even more uncomfortable than it seems. If he already hits hard in games, in training he hits ten times harder," Daniel Vallejo said.
Just a few months so far at the state-of-the-art tennis academy already seems to have significantly helped Vallejo's development as a tennis player. The youngster gave a high rating to the facilities at the 14-time French Open champion's academy.
"Just because of the facilities and the level of training it's already incredible, a 10. I've been here for four months and so far everything is going well, I hope to continue improving," Vallejo stated.
"It is impossible for him not to be a bit of an idol" - Daniel Vallejo on Rafael Nadal
Paraguay's Daniel Vallejo admitted that he does not try to copy Rafael Nadal or pick aspects of his game to inculcate into his own as he feels his style of play is a lot different from the Spaniard's. Having said that, he certainly aims to learn from the great champion in terms of mental strength, something the 36-year-old is a prime example of. Vallejo also said that there is a lot about the Spanish southpaw that makes him "an idol" to many budding players like himself.
"Well, with Nadal it is impossible for him not to be a bit of an idol, although in my case I don't like him as much as others because his game is not similar to mine, he is not someone I can copy, although mentally he is an example. But in the rest we have nothing in common," Vallejo expressed.
The teenager has five singles titles so far on the ITF circuit, along with a stellar 23-6 win-loss record. At No. 736 in the ATP Rankings, the 2004-born player is the only Paraguayan in the top 1,000 of the men's rankings.