“Vamos -Rafa takes young Branch to the woodshed”: Ex-coach of Andre Agassi reacts after Rafael Nadal’s thumping win over young Darwin Blanch

Ex-coach of the former world number one Andre Agassi, Brad Gilbert, believes that Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal ‘takes young Brand to the woodshed’ after his recent performance in the Madrid Open. The 37-year-old is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent past where he ended up missing three out of four Grand Slams in 2023. The former world number one returned to action earlier this year but once again suffered a fitness concern in the Brisbane International which ended up ruling him out of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Nadal is currently taking part in the ongoing Madrid Open where he proved too hot to handle for America’s Darwin Blanch as he registered a win in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-0. That win did not go unnoticed as the ex-coach of the former world number one Agassi took to social media to highlight how the Mancoor-born took the young brand ‘to the woodshed’. "Vamos -Rafa takes young Branch to the woodshed who looked a bit overwhelmed, should be interesting vs little Demon again,” wrote Gilbert.