By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 17, 2025
Photograph credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Dealing with Rafael Nadal in a match might an excruciating expertise for even prime execs.
Taking part in Nadal in apply was even worse, say two former American stars.
Within the new episode of their Nothing Main podcast, Sam Querrey and Stevie Johnson shared the 2 “worst apply companions” they ever encountered: Rafael Nadal and Reilly Opelka.
Querrey, who beat Nadal 6-3, 7-6(3) to within the 2017 Acapulco last, mentioned the King of Clay’s sheer energy on his vaunted lefty forehand and his hard-core competitiveness made him a nightmare apply accomplice.
“Rafa’s fairly unhealthy, we’ve talked about this earlier than,” mentioned Querrey, who was 1-5 lifetime vs. Nadal. “Rafa simply hits each ball as exhausting as he can.”
“Rafa’s unhealthy,” Johnson concurred.
Former No. 1 Nadal is second solely to large server Reilly Opelka amongst worst apply companions, in accordance with Querrey and Johnson.
That’s as a result of Opelka chooses the nuclear choice on serve and strokes in apply and the result’s no rhythm and few rallies for the opposing participant.
“Reilly is a foul one,” Johnson mentioned. “He’s nice fellowship on the market, however not like John [Isner], [Opelka] would go full Bot-mode in apply. John, I’ll reiterate this one once more, good apply accomplice. He wasn’t gonna go full out on his serve, nice rhythm from the bottom. Such as you would get a very good rhythm with John, no questions requested.
“However Reilly, he does it the precise approach for him. He’ll go like two first serves, hit 74 unforced errors and 80 winners in a apply. Such as you simply do not know what you’re gonna get. So typically Reilly was a tricky one, however he apply the precise approach for him, for certain. But it surely was a tricky apply for an hour. You by no means actually felt such as you bought your facet out of it.”
See the pair crown Nadal and Opelka worst of the worst right here:
Rafael Nadal was identified for hitting his ferocious forehand as a lot as 6 to eight mph sooner in apply than in match play.
In a previous interview with Tennis Now, Toni Nadal, Rafa Nadal’s unique coach and uncle, cited his nephew’s ardour for apply and unmatched depth throughout apply as major components for his Grand Slam greatness.
“I used to be fortunate sufficient to teach a man who was as excited for each single apply as he was to play every match,” Uncle Toni Nadal instructed Tennis Now in an interview on the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre in Costa Mujeres, Mexico.
Curiously, Querrey cited one among three males to defeat the King of Clay at Roland Garros, Robin Soderling, as one of many two all-time worst warm-up apply companions he ever confronted.
“I do know who the 2 worst heat up companions had been. In case you’re gonna heat up for a match for half-hour. It was Robin Soderling or Lukas Rosol [as worst]—they simply hit each ball as exhausting as they may,” Querrey mentioned. “You come to the online they simply rip it at you want tremendous intense not like relaxed for the primary two minutes. It was not enjoyable.”
