A private masterclass with Nadal, Sinner and Alcaraz

"How old are you?"
"17."

"What are you playing in at the moment?"
"Junior tournaments, I was planning to be in the USA this week."

"What about next year?"
"I’d like to get a good result at the Junior Grand Slams, to improve as a player and make the jump to real tennis, with adults."

"Stick at it, it’s a long road, but the most important thing is that you enjoy it."

The words of advice came from Rafael Nadal, he was talking to Andres Santamarta. The 17-year-old enjoyed the experience of a lifetime this week at the Davis Cup Finals, where he had the privilege of forming part of the Spanish team as a sparring partner.

Photo Credit: Andres Santamarta

During the days leading up to the competition, he practised with the 22-time Grand Slam champion. “To me Rafa is a role model. I’ve watched him for so many years, at the top for as long as I can remember. I’m very lucky and I hope I can learn something from him and apply it to my tennis, to my game,” he told ATPTour.com.

For Santamarta, the current No. 1308 in the PIF ATP Rankings, it was a masterclass. As well as sharing a locker room with Nadal at his farewell tournament, he did the same with the very player who is destined to continue his legacy, Carlos Alcaraz, along with Roberto Bautista Agut, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez.

“I feel very lucky to have been able to share this moment with those five and with the whole team in general,” added Santamarta, who tried to be a sponge and absorb as many lessons as possible throughout the week.

The young player was unable to share any time on court with Alcaraz, who arrived in Malaga from the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and did not have as long to prepare. However, it was not the first time the two had met.

Coincidentally, at last year’s Mutua Madrid Open they were champions in the event’s two men’s singles categories: ATP Masters 1000 (Alcaraz) and Under-16 (Santamarta). “Yes, we had our photo taken at the Mutua Madrid Open when he won. He congratulated me and, now that I think of it, he told me practically the same as Rafa, to keep going, that it’s a very long road.”

Photo Credit: Andres Santamarta

Despite the fact that Spain’s journey at the Davis Cup came to an abrupt end in the quarter-finals, Santamarta’s adventure in Malaga continued into Wednesday. The Spaniard, who has five points in his PIF ATP Rankings account, was the man on the other side of the net as world No. 1 Jannik Sinner hit his first balls upon arrival at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena.

“But I was also happy because he’s the world No. 1 and I really wanted to share a practice session with him. I really loved it. I admire him.”

Once on court, Santamarta forgot his nerves and, just as Nadal had advised a few days before, he enjoyed the opportunity. “I felt very comfortable,” he says. “The thing that really struck me was the intensity, the same as with Rafa. He’s a very relaxed guy, he doesn’t get annoyed, and he plays with such intensity. He misses and he’s already prepared for the next ball. The thing I like about Sinner is how he moves and his backhand.”

As a player at the GTennis Academy in his native Valencia, he had already practised with some elite players, but never of ‘this calibre’, as he put it.

“I’ve learned so much and I really like it, because it’s a good experience to hit balls and train with top players. I’m going to try and take the positives, what I’ve learned from them on and off the court.”

He has a wish: “I would like to start with real tennis, the ATP and all the tournaments with adults, where you can really see the experience. I hope I can adapt, because it’s a really big change, the tennis is very different, the way they play and think.”

Now, with so many memories, hope, desire and some priceless advice, he will return home to continue to make his way along that long road that lies ahead.

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