Before he made it big in the professional pickleball industry even though he would eventually go on to become one of the biggest and most recognized superstars, Jay Devilliers had goals to be a competitive tennis player. In his time in the sport, he had the opportunity to enjoy the most amazing experience that very few athletes in the world can ever have had, hitting with Rafael Nadal in a game like this for his career: he was a hitting partner for him! Now that he has come to the end of the game and he is a professional pickleball player, Devilliers can still remember that high-stakes match in the US Open in his mind so clearly. From the very first time he walked into the Arthur Ashe Stadium to the time he was walking out in the big Arthur Ashe Stadium with his hands covered with blisters and having to walk off the court with it in his hands and hands getting painful blisters.
Devilliers explained on the Kitchen Pickleball podcast the behind-the-scenes story of the encounter and revealed that he did not know who he was going to be playing with until the very last minute. He talked about how tournament practice is so opaque and never the player is revealed to the tournament organizer in advance. They only put one court in play. Devilliers thought of the code as AA the first time he was told to go to the court. It was a big place and he had an instant sense he was in for a huge job.
The surprise increased exponentially when he discovered his training partner for the day would be none other than Rafael Nadal himself. Because Nadal was running slightly late, Devilliers was first welcomed by Nadal's coach at the time, world number one Carlos Moya who was definitely an unexpected challenge. Moya told Devilliers that he would hit with him for a few minutes and if Moya thought his level was up to scratch, he would be able to step on court with Rafa. Devilliers said that this early warmup actually helped to calm down his anxiety and the thrill of playing with Carlos Moya really made him feel like he could do it again.
When Moya felt he did enough to let out a smile, Devilliers moved across the net to practice with Nadal and went through what became one of the most physically demanding and grueling practice sessions in his entire athletic career. The intensity and high topspin of Nadal's shots took a toll on his body and his hands were broken by the end of the session having played up to five hours a day on the tennis court. Devilliers said he had painful blisters for the first time in his life.
And despite the physical pain, Nadal generously asked him to stay for 30 minutes of practice, and Devilliers was so thrilled. In addition to the physical intensity, he was struck by Nadal's meticulousness, as each drill was designed for the Spanish champion’s style and tendencies and they were all tailored to the type of opponent he was about to face.
Reflecting on Nadal's personality, Devilliers witnessed a change in the character of Nadal. Nadal had a very focused, almost reserved attitude during practice and was very focused on his work at the time; he was just not able to smile in the face of the person. But, when the practice session was officially done after all these sessions, Nadal changed and he spoke to Devilliers warmly and casually like he had known each other for years, which confirmed his very good personality and good character.
