"The way Rafael Nadal practices is like no other player" - Coco Gauff opens up on being inspired by Spaniard's intensity after his French Open 1R exit

Coco Gauff recently opened up about how she draws inspiration from Rafael Nadal following his loss in the first round of the 2024 French Open. The Spaniard lost to fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the opening round at Roland Garros.

Nadal, who has struggled with injuries over the past few years, is potentially playing the final season of his career. He suffered a straight sets defeat (6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3) to Zverev in the first round of the clay court Major.

The former World No.1's record at the French Open now stands at 112-4, with Zverev becoming just the third player to defeat the Spaniard at Roland Garros, alongside Novak Djokovic, who has defeated him twice in Paris - in 2015 and 2021, and Robin Soderling, who defeated him in 2009.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff, who defeated qualifier Julia Avdeeva in the first round at the French Open, shared her thoughts on Rafael Nadal after her match. While speaking to The Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj and Steve Weissman, Gauff talked about how intense the 22-time Grand Slam champion's practice sessions are.

Gauff expressed that Nadal's intensity motivates her to bring the same level of commitment not only to tennis but also to her life in general

"The way he practices is like no other player that I've seen. It's just like, even if I have to like go to my own practice, I'll stop and watch for a couple minutes, which is what I did two days ago when he was practicing. It's just something that inspires you to bring that intensity to everything that you do in life, not just tennis," Gauff said.

The American also acknowledged the unique "aura" that the Spaniard carries. She then revealed that she will miss seeing his dominance at the French Open, a Grand Slam title he has won a record 14 times.

"And obviously we all know how nice of a guy he is and how unintentionally funny he is, which I just love watching like Rafa moments on YouTube when he doesn't mean to be funny but it's very funny. So yeah, just everything about him, I think his aura is, you know, one of one, and especially here [the French Open], it's something that won't happen again in the sport," she added.

"Luckily, Rafael Nadal didn't cry because I think if he cried, I would've cried" - Coco Gauff on the Spaniard's 1R loss at French Open 2024

In the aforementioned interview, Coco Gauff revealed that she had tuned in to Rafael Nadal's post-match on-court speech from the press room.

She said that she was relieved that the Spaniard did not shed tears during his speech, as she believed it would have triggered her own emotions.

"I was watching it in the press room, but like an office and we were just watching the speech. Luckily, he didn't cry because I think if he cried, I would've cried," Gauff added.

Gauff went on to disclose that she was emotional while watching Nadal speak. She said that it was heartbreaking to witness the former World No.1's defeat at the French Open as she had grown up watching him win only at the clay court Major.

"I was getting a little bit emotional because it's literally all I've ever known my whole life is him winning here so it just sucks to see," she added.