American tennis player Denis Kudla says Rafael Nadal has the “mental intimidation on most of the Tour” as he admits he is absolutely impressed by the Spaniard’s talent for the game and mental strength. Nadal, who turned 36 last week, became a record 22-time Grand Slam champion after beating Casper Ruud in the French Open final.
Kudla, 29, has played Nadal once as he and the Spaniard met for the first time earlier this year in Acapulco. Kudla didn’t stand much chance versus Nadal as the Spaniard claimed a routine 6-3 6-2 win. “He has the mental intimidation on most of the tour.
It’s just his talent level is incredible, his resilience is incredible, his vision for the games and what he brings to table and how he can implement it on everybody is just best of the best,” Kudla said on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, per Sportskeeda.
Kudla: What is in Nadal’s brain is just incredible
Nadal is one of the most accomplished players in tennis history but he remains fully committed and dedicated to the game. “He plays the lefty kind of style so well, he’s got such good power, he plays every single point with focus and intent, he’s so positive.
I was talking about this the other day, it’s incredible, where he has been playing for over 17 years and he’s never broken a racket. And it’s like wow. Everybody has broken a racket and he’s never broken a racket.
What’s in his brain is just incredible,” Kudla added. Nadal, who lifted his maiden Grand Slam title in 2005, now owns a record 22 Grand Slams. 17 years after his first Grand Slam title, Nadal is still a dominant force in the game and Kudla finds it absolutely incredible.
“So, it’s inspiring to watch it first hand, it’s inspiring to play him and kind of see what he does and kind of compare it to playing Novak, playing Roger, playing Andy, it’s just amazing what he can do at such a high level and on any given day, so consistent, it feels superhuman,” Kudla said.
Source: Tennis World USA