“It’s really nice to watch him play,” French youngster, Hugo Gaston lavishes praise on Rafael Nadal

“It’s really nice to watch him play,” French youngster, Hugo Gaston lavishes praise on Rafael Nadal

Hugo Gaston, Rafael Nadal

Hugo Gaston, the French tennis prodigy got his fair share of limelight at the French Open last year. Gaston reached the last 16 of the French Open, before finally losing to Dominic Thiem in a thrilling five-set encounter. On his way, he defeated the three-time Grandslam champion, Stan Wawrinka which was one of the bigger upsets of the tournament.

Hugo Gaston was knocked out in the second round of the Miami Open 2021 by another young prospect, Jannik Sinner. After defeating Dominik Koepfer in straight sets in Round one, he could not repeat his heroics in the second round, as he beaten in straight sets by Sinner.

The 20-year old is a huge fan of Rafael Nadal and he heaped praise on the Spaniard in a recent interview to ATP Website. Gaston stated that he loves watching the Spaniard play and he tries to take some key points from him to set it as an example. “It’s really nice to watch him play and I try to take something from him as an example,” said Gaston.

FS Video

Hugo Gaston recalls his first meeting with Nadal

YouTube video

Hugo Gaston recalled his first meeting with Rafael Nadal, which the Frenchman said came most probably when he was playing the Australian Open juniors event. He stated that it was an amazing feeling, to see the 20-time Grandslam champion right behind him.

“I met Rafa for the first time during the juniors, maybe in Australian Open. I was a young player and to see Rafa just behind me was amazing,” Gaston said.

Rafael Nadal has not played a single tournament since his Australian Open 2021 quarterfinal loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Spaniard is recovering from a back issue with an eye on the clay court season. Nadal is expected to return at the Monte Carlo Masters, which is only the second Masters tournament of the year.

Meanwhile, Hugo Gaston will aim to do well during the clay court season this year as well. The Frenchman has struggled to get wins under his belt during the hard court season, but is certainly one of the most exciting prospects on tour.

Also Read: Find Out: What Andrey Rublev had to say on his childhood idol, Rafael Nadal