The French Open is fast approaching at the end of the month which means the best players in the world are busy getting ready for the crucial Roland Garros Grand Slam. The tennis world has rolled into Rome this week for the Italian Open and two of the biggest names in the sport have found time to practice with each other, and it has to be said it is an unlikely pairing.
Maria Sharopova, twice a French Open Champion, posted a video to her twitter account on Monday lunchtime of her getting ready for a big week with none other than Rafa Nadal!
The two legends of the game can be seen playing an entertaining point together with the Russian coming out on top of what looked like a competitive contest in the Eternal City.
Sharapova was clearly looking for the best possible training partner and in Nadal she found the greatest of all time!
The Spanish phenomenon is gearing up a tilt at winning the French Open for a simply astounding 11th title in Paris and he starts the Rome Masters as the red hot favourite for another title on the clay. Nadal did suffer an unlikely defeat in Madrid last week at the hands of Dominic Thiem to stop his remarkable winning run on he red surface, but that will surely only motivate him ahead of what is the biggest two weeks of his season.
As for Sharapova, the five time Grand Slam Champion is still struggling to get anywhere near her best having returned from a drug suspension but back on the surface where she has tasted the majority of her success, it would be foolish to rule out a big run in Paris.
For now though, fans of both players can enjoy a sight we never thought we'd see...
