“I’m like Rafael Nadal” World No. 70 Arthur Rinderknech makes a bold comparison
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Rafael Nadal and Arthur Rinderknech
World No. 70 and the 6th highest-ranked Frenchman in the ATP Singles rankings, Arthur Rinderknech has enjoyed his debut season on the ATP Tour after having turned Pro in 2018. The 26-year old has already broken into the Top-100 and clinched his maiden Grand Slam match win when he won his first-round clash at the 2021 US Open defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in a thrilling 5-setter comeback after being 2-sets down going into the 3rd.
In his recent interview, Arthur talked about various aspects of his training regime. On being asked whether he employs a mental trainer, which many players are doing for their mental health, Arthur drew a comparison between him and 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, saying the two players share a similar ideology about the mental trainer.
“I’m like Rafael Nadal on this, I think it’s up to my coach to have this skill. I cannot separate it from the game, from training, from knowing the player on a daily basis, from his personal life. I see it that way. But I can also understand that others are more comfortable with a clearly defined mental coach,” said Rinderknech.
“I saw myself as more of a professional footballer than a tennis player” says Arthur Rinderknech
In his very first season, he has also claimed his first Top-20 win when he defeated Italian youngster Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16 clash at the 2021 Lyon Open where he reached the 2nd quarter-final of his career before losing to eventual runner-up Cameron Norrie. He later reached the semi-finals of the 2021 Austrian Open, his first semis on the ATP Tour before being overpowered by eventual winner Casper Ruud.
Arthur,26, turned Pro in 2018 at the age of 23 despite being a regular tennis player for his college. The Frenchman cleared the air why he turned Pro so late. “I was an absolute fan of football, a sport in which I did as well as with a racquet. So I juggled the two disciplines for a long time. I was having a hard time making up my mind.
“I must admit that I saw myself as more of a professional footballer than a tennis player, it seemed stronger to me. It was when I felt the two were incompatible that I finally chose tennis because I was starting to perform better. It then became obvious,” added Arthur explaining why he made a late switch to tennis giving up on playing football.
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Sarthak Shitole
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