I faced 16-year-old Rafael Nadal and I was shocked and impressed by what he did to me in training

Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of tennis' all-time greats, and his potential was clear from the very beginning of his career.

That's according to former world number two and fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja, who was left stunned after his first meeting with a 16-year-old Nadal more than twenty years ago.

Corretja spoke to talkSPORT.com to preview the upcoming French Open, which is likely to be the Spaniard's final appearance at the Grand Slam where he is a 14-time champion, having previously said that he expects 2024 to be his final year as a player.

The 1998 and 2001 French Open finalist revealed he was introduced to the then rising star in a training session, where he left a lasting impression.

He recalled: “I first played against him in 2003, but I was lucky to practise with him a few months before on a cold winter's day in Barcelona. It was so cold and we fixed up a practise for 9am.

“I got there about 10 minutes before and this kid was there holding his racket, in a t-shirt and shorts, and he was ready.

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“I warmed up and said to him ‘what are we going to do’? He said whatever you want because at that time I was ‘the good one’."

Corretja, who coached British hero Andy Murray between 2008 and 2011, then explained Nadal's standout qualities, including his now renowned powerful ground strokes, quickly became apparent.

He continued: “The first forehand he hit was like boom! It was massive, so powerful. I stopped the ball and looked at him and said: ‘how can you hit it so hard from the first ball?’

“He said he hits the first ball the same as he hits his last ball. I was thinking this guy must be unique in this world.

“He was only 16 at the time and that was the first time I met him. I was very shocked and impressed."

Remarking on the young Nadal's impressive intensity during training, he added: “The way we were doing drills, I was getting exhausted so I would say let’s do volleys and he was just like ‘yeah, okay’.

“That was a sign for me that he was someone very special and unique.”

It would not be long before the rest of the tennis world became aware of the same huge talent Corretja first witnessed on a Barcelona practice court.

Nadal won his first Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros just over two years later in 2005, before going on to taste glory at the tournament a further eight times in the following nine years.

And Corretja shared his hope that the 'King of Clay' will be able to bow out of his favourite event, where he holds a record number of titles, on the court after his long injury struggles.

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He said: “We need Rafa. We can’t start a tournament like Roland Garros feeling like Rafa is not going to play. 

“When he was injured in the past, it was a shame. Now, not having Rafa, which might be his last Roland Garros, would be devastating."

Despite his concerns, the 50-year-old revealed that he remains confident in Nadal's ability to perform at the event where he has tasted unprecedented glory, should he be fit to take part.

Corretja added: “You never know what is going to happen.

"When you have Rafa on that court [Phillipe Chatrier], you know something different is going to happen and it is going to be very difficult to beat him."

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Fans will certainly be hoping the legendary player can draw on his past glories as he targets a dream farewell in Paris, in what will surely feature some emotional scenes.

Alex Corretja will be covering the French Open on Eurosport, which begins on Sunday, May 26 and runs until June 9