Coach: I don’t think people can see how quickly Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hit

Neil Powell, the coach of Blitzboks — the South African national rugby sevens team — was impressed by the mix of outstanding shots thrown on the court by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal during the exhibition that took place on Cape Town Stadium, South Africa, about a week ago.

Neil attended the match with his family and he had a great time seeing the two tennis titans. In an interview for Rugby Rocks, Powell expressed his opinion on the Cape Town exhibition.

“It was incredible [...] Everybody was filled with excitement for one of the biggest sporting events to ever take place in Africa. We (Neil and his family) were fortunate enough to get some amazing seats, right by the halfway line and next to the tunnel where the players walk out.” the coach said.

Blitzboks’ coach led the team to a first-place finish in the 2016-17 World Rugby Sevens Series, so he knows what talent looks like and how to make it shine. Yet, he was delighted by the virtuosity of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“I don’t think people watching on TV can actually see how quickly they hit that ball. The ball literally misses the net by millimetres, and it is incredible to see how much spin they can get. I don’t think they played as competitively as they usually would at Wimbledon, for instance, but their competitive side was definitely still there. That level of tennis was absolutely astounding to see in person.” Powell said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2OS5JrM