When an 18-year-old Rafael Nadal was recognized as a "natural winner" by legendary commentator
An old video of Rafael Nadal hitting a few balls with Roger Federer ahead of their first-ever encounter at the 2004 Miami Masters recently emerged on Twitter. John Barrett, who did the play-by-play commentary of the match, could be heard showering praise on the young Spaniard, saying he came off as a "natural winner."
Commentator describing Nadal in 2004 as a “natural winner”.
They knew this kid was going to be a monster before he even broke out https://t.co/bPLbpm5ooU
At the beginning of the video, Barrett higlighted how the entire tennis universe believed that the 21-time Major winner had a "brilliant future." He then proceeded to list out all the qualities that made the Spaniard a dangerous player.
"Everybody believes he has a brilliant future. He is a left-hander with a good serve, double-handed backhand and a very aggressive attitude," Barrett said then.
Towards the end of the video, the commentator suggested that Nadal knew "how to win instinctively" before adding that the Spaniard had a bright future ahead of him.
"He's a natural winner... You get boys who know how to win instinctively, and he certainly knows!" he added.
Rafael Nadal's 2004 Miami Open campaign marked the beginning of his rise
Nadal's ascent to the top of the game began in 2004, when he reached his first ATP final in Auckland at the start of the season (losing to Czech Republic's Dominik Hrbaty). The Spaniard broke into the top 40 of the men's rankings after the Australian Open that year.
He then went on to shock the tennis universe by upsetting Roger Federer in the third round of the Miami Masters. The Spaniard beat the Swiss against all odds, marking the beginning of an epic rivalry that has spanned nearly two decades.
Nadal went on to lose to former Australian Open finalist Fernando Gonzalez in his next match in Miami. But he drew inspiration from his results in the first half of the season to win his maiden ATP title in Sopot at the bare age of 18.
With his triumph, the Spaniard became the youngest active male player to win a pro title, a record that he held for four years until Kei Nishikori won his first title at Delray Beach.