14 July 2021. In Daniel Spatz's interview with Nadal's coach Francis Roig (2005 -), Spatz also asks Roig about technique.

[I get cramps]

1)

14 July 2021.

Daniel Spatz - You started your relationship with Toni and Rafa in 20005, didn't you?

Francisco Roig - Yes.

DS - How do you live with a teacher, like me, who was not a professional tennis player, not you, who was, and from 2017 with Carlos, who was world number 1?

Roig—We always try to decide Rafa's priority objectives. These varied from when Rafa was between 20 and 25 years old to when he was already 30. Even if you share the same goals with someone, working similarly is challenging. We say ‘cada maestro tiene su brillo’ in English, ‘Every teacher has his book.' My work with Rafa includes the continuous journey to compete, although they may direct this day-to-day. I have always spoken to both of them by phone daily.

Toni likes to train for a long time on the court. Carlos will try to reduce Rafa's training time on the court as much as possible. We know that Rafa likes to warm up too much, IMV, sometimes up to an hour. The level of requirement Rafa asks from a warm-up is the same as from on-court training. We have managed to keep these warm-ups to half an hour. Sometimes, they are longer, depending on what the tournament and his body require.

DS - Francis, have you ever commented on tennis on television?

Roig _ A few times, yes, but it's not an experience I enjoyed too much. Too often, you are limited when you comment on tennis. I'm always more interested in what the players are doing wrong, and I try not to emphasize that consciously. On TV, I don't even feel like talking bad about the players, and above all, you better not do it, but that's just me. You can hardly go into anything; there's no time for anything. You must keep quiet when the points are at stake and ‘let the real protagonists speak.’ It is undoubtedly better that the experts in tennis broadcasting take care of these, as they have been improving as broadcasters over the years. In Spain, good ex-professionals are involved in this profession, and it will be better for the viewers if they take care of this.

DS - Is it often more complex to progress in your game when you are a tennis legend?

Roig - Because of his style of play, Rafa was always aware that his tennis had to evolve towards less physical forms of the game, and he never showed a lack of desire. What happens is that when you have so much success competing in one way, it's difficult to change it. It's challenging to do that with kids who are 18 years old...

DS—I don't know if you could listen to the analysis that Jorge Vígil, a legend of our coaching, made about Rafa, which I sent you on tape.

Roig - Yes, I did.

DS: What is Rafa's mentality? He leads 4-0 and 30-0, and he's still playing like his bread is being taken away from him.

Roig - He can lead 6-2, 4-1, and be one point away from putting two breaks up and play with the same intensity as the match's first point. There were world number ones who were probably told by their coaches in the same situation: ‘Don't relax, keep playing like that.’ Number one, after hearing the comment and with such a margin of advantage over his opponent, does what he finds appropriate. You should never comment on Rafa's moods. He knows what he wants, and it will undoubtedly be intense. If I were to tell Rafa that he has to keep his intensity, I would be insulting his way of being, of being not just a tennis player. If I told him, "Don't relax, Rafa," I would also insult him; that verb doesn't exist in his mind.

DS - Was he always like that?

Roig - As long as he has been alive.

Roig - I know how Toni's toughness was with Rafa, and there is no discrepancy between the latter's behavior and the former's toughness. But this competitive intensity has to be ingrained to a large extent, and Toni unleashed it. I think Rafa can intimidate a large number of players on the court. When his opponents see Rafa start to come from behind, they feel that the match will get tough. When his opponents are way ahead, and Rafa suddenly wins three games in a row, they know they are in a battle, and Rafa won't waver. And he won't be affected by the fact that his forehand is not working well or that his serve is not helping him at all; he will use anything he can pull on, line it all up, and win, no matter how the audience perceives his game, the journalists, those faithful to the textbooks or to the beauty of the game. Rafa has no time for that; he will resort to any means to try to win.

And if you're a player like that, even in those circumstances, he will force to battle any player.

DS - Did Rafa walk off the court very dissatisfied with his performance in any matches?

Roig—It is certainly difficult to be with Rafa after he has just lost a match. Although his attitude to competing is enviable, and I always expect more from his battling ability, I am a coach, and his mistakes flash before my eyes.

DS - Francis, does Rafa get angry during training? Can he be an a**hol*?

Roig - I've been working with him for 16 years, and his demands on himself have increased each year. We talked and lived together during that time, but even so, when Rafa trains, there is only the ball and the whole shot movement; nothing else exists for him. As time passes, you learn when you can and should talk when he's training. To tell him what he is doing wrong and what he needs to know. I like to talk on the court, but I must restrain myself. Once he enters the training court, it's all seriousness. Be careful; there are a few jokes. Rafa doesn't like euphoria. Just as you have seen him hit the ball very well for three sets and feel neither happy nor the opposite, the same thing happens when he practices in training. You may have seen, without a doubt, that he is feeling the ball phenomenally well, and yet he may harbor a feeling of ‘not bad.’ You don't tell him, ‘You played well this match,’ but he may ask you later how you saw him play; it is, surprisingly, when he needs your confirmation of what he has felt and thought about it.

DS - Is Rafa very demanding with his sparring partners? Does he ever tell you: ‘Take this guy off the court, he misses too many balls’?

Roig - No. Toni made him realize the importance of this issue early on. Rafa has played a lot with unranked players, taking advantage of this to improve aspects of his game that were not so well looked after. In the past, Rafa insisted on hitting during tournaments with players who were not very aggressive but who all put balls in. He wanted to get into a rhythm, improve his impact, and feel for the ball. However, he accepted that he had to hit with all kinds of players because he would find all sorts of players during a tournament. Toni was very important in insisting that he become aware of this need. These last few years, in the matches before the start of a tournament, he played with all kinds of players.

DS - When and where do you choose to talk to Rafa about the approach to a match?

Roig - You have to distinguish between how we do this during Masters 1000 and grand slams. Rafa does not like to sit on a couch and talk at length about a match. We have to find a situation in the day that allows us to do that—a dinner, for instance. In Grand Slams, you discuss how we saw things after the match, but not a few hours after the match. The next day after his practice, we discuss situations he might have to deal with and we go over them with him for five minutes. In those moments, we work out the tactics for the upcoming match.

Look, the moment when we talk about the match with a high level of attention on his part is when Rafa Maymó [his physical trainer] is giving him a massage and putting on the bandages to go out on the court. In those moments, he gobbles up all the information you can give him.

DS - I wanted to talk a bit about technique with you.

Roig - Okay.

DS—The kids are being taught now. I don't know who does it, but so many people upload tennis instruction videos to YouTube. YouTube is packed to the brim with clips recommending holding the racquet like Kyrgios, with the racquet tip crossing obliquely to the ground when preparing his forehand. What do you think of this?

Roig - I think setting up your forehand like that is unnatural. I don't like watching videos. We focus too much on the swing and not on the footwork or the position of the legs while we draw the swing. It's better to have an average swing but to arrive very well coordinated to the ball than the other way around. Many players have had excellent strokes, and their impact points were incorrect. They can have the point of impact a bit late and have a very good stroke.

I look at how much effort the player puts into hitting the ball and how easily they can get it off the strings. Often in the clubs, you see good amateur players, what we call here in Spain ‘orthodox players,’ who are aesthetically pleasing to watch. You should never be confused when you see someone who plays, let's say, beautifully with someone who has good technique if the former lacks the latter. You can draw the stroke very well, but while doing so, your movement may not be correct. We could go on for a long time discussing grips and variations of upper and lower body movements (the most important; if you have a player who always arrives at the balls with good leg coordination, you have made a lot of progress).

The problem with videos is that I don't like watching them because they focus on the player, not on how the incoming ball comes to him. The latter determines how you balance, whether you will receive or attack the ball, whether you need to get a little more feel for the ball in the strings, and how you will move when you hit it. There are so many factors that you sometimes don't see, and it's that hard: you must be able to differentiate between them. Talk about a swing - which Kyrgios raises his elbow more when he sets up his forehand? It's a complex discussion.

 

[Rovesciarete]

DS—The kids are being taught now, I don't know who does it, but there are so many people uploading tennis instruction videos on YouTube. YouTube is packed to the brim with clips recommending holding the racquet like Kyrgios, with the racquet tip crossing obliquely to the ground when preparing his forehand. What do you think of this?

Roig - I think setting up your forehand like that is unnatural. I don't like watching videos. We focus too much on the swing and not on the footwork or the position of the legs while we draw the swing. It's better to have an average swing but to arrive very well coordinated to the ball than the other way around. A lot of players have had excellent strokes, and their impact points were not correct. They can have the point of impact a bit late and have a very good stroke.

I look at how much effort the player puts into hitting the ball and how easily they can get the ball off the strings. Often in the clubs, you see good amateur players, what we call here in Spain ‘orthodox players,’ who are aesthetically pleasing to watch. You should never confuse seeing someone who plays, let's say, beautifully with someone who has good technique if the former lacks the latter. You can draw the stroke very well, but while doing so, your movement may not be correct. We could go on for a long time discussing grips and variations of upper and lower body movements (the most important; if you have a player who always arrives at the balls with good leg coordination, you have made a lot of progress).

Fully agree with this ’Spanish’ observation about the value of moment for stroke quality.

The problem with videos is that I don't like watching them because they focus on the player, not on how the incoming ball comes to him. The latter determines how you balance, whether you will receive the ball or attack it, whether you need to get a little more feel for the ball in the strings, and how you will move when you hit it. There are so many factors that sometimes you don't see, and, it's that hard: you have to be able to differentiate a lot between them.

Matteo clearly wanted to address his weak points but I think in this phase of his career improving his strengths feels easier.

Still it was plain how relative easy it was on HC to make him play angled backhands, slices and running forehands. Roig must have had his own thoughts about that.

 

[I get cramps]

2)

DS - You told me you recommend watching the player play without a racquet to get a more realistic idea of his dynamism.

Roig - That's right.

In terms of when a player is well supported to transfer his weight, for example, or move efficiently and in a coordinated manner anywhere on the court. I think my ideas on this would be misinterpreted. These are not simple issues. You have to have great control of muscle flexion. When you create an inertial starting movement towards no man's land to hit a forehand, I will lose an excessive amount of the movement developed. That's why I'm not in favor of marking supports, but I want to control the flexion so that it's not exaggerated and we don't end up supporting ourselves. Other coaches like their players to mark the support of their right leg if they arrive in a hurry. I understand that such marked support will cause you to lower your center of gravity too much. Therefore, your body will lose dynamism. Have you never heard the saying ‘arrive early so you can hit late’? However, how many times do you not arrive early, and you eat the incoming ball and hit late?

There are players, usually shorter players, who play with their torso too high and the shoulder rotation becomes too important in the hitting. If your torso is too high and you get to the ball you're chasing, you will look at the ground. It's something I emphasize a lot with my players. Don't look for the ball on the ground; get there with time and be able to see the incoming ball in front of you. You will have more shoulder rotation. Furthermore, and as can be deduced from what I have already said, if I am looking at the ball I am chasing because it is on the ground, this will have a very plausible cause for the loss of the inertial movement developed because instead of controlling the muscular flexion I will have marked the support. However, if instead of having reasonable control of the muscle flexion, you flex too much, you will also be looking at the ground.

But this explanation, given here in an online communication with two little cameras, is difficult to interpret; it is just words.

DS—Well, I'm not a professional coach, and I'm visualizing everything you just said in a player of mine.

Roig - It's just that... when I talk about tennis or impacts, I will talk about movement. Your movement will prevent if it's correct, that your swing will require a lot of effort to make your ball fast, deep, or carry a ton of weight. If I don't need to exert as much force in my swing, I will have more control over my stroke. If I hit the ball at 70% of my hitting ability, I will gain excellent ball control.

Look, Djokovic is the best current example of what I'm talking about. It's something I always thought. I don't use him as an example because of his present situation. Djokovic doesn't look like he will hit the ball hard, and his swings aren't aggressive. He has what I call ‘timing swings,’ he finishes his shots excellently, has an excellent feel for the ball, and moves perfectly with the ball after impact. This causes his ball to travel fast and deep, and also, the quality of his ball as it bounces in the opponent's court does damage, as his follow-through movement after impact is terrific. However, his opponent's ball stays more on the ground of Novak's court. Something always to watch: the quality of my ball bounces on the other side of the court.

DS - Yes, right; you told me you pay much attention to it.

Roig - It is not easy for the player to assimilate, even intellectually, these quick concepts. But what is essential is that the tennis player gets to feel them while playing and, in that way, believes in them. Then, you will spend as much time as necessary with him to make him feel these concepts more and more and better. IMO, this finally gives you the much sought-after Timing and the confidence that you will not fail in an official match. This is what differentiates the top-top players from the rest of the field.

DS—In your time as a player, the slice was crucial. There were many exponents of excellence in its use.

Roig - Yes, but the slice was not as crucial to the game as it is nowadays.

DS - Tell me about the slice. Because some teachers consider mastery of the slice something that should not be sought after, they say more and players play more flat shots on fast courts.

Roig - But isn't that precisely why the slice is so essential now if so many players are hitting more times per game flat? You have a good backhand slice and an opposition that is getting taller and stronger and wants to hit with even more pace; the latter is always achieved. We break records every year. So, in defense, it will be more difficult for you to get to their cannon shots. The slice has the peculiarity that you don't need to be as well coordinated with your legs and balanced as with the topspin backhand to hit it. I try to train the slice with all my players as much as possible. You're not able to use it too much, and you'll have to know how to choose when to use it. The slice will allow you to play short balls around the net or close to it with proficiency. Plus, more and more drop-shots are being played.

And it's a shot that, without too much practice, will thank you for working on it. It's hardly ever practiced. You will notice a significant improvement if you train it for ten minutes every day for two weeks. And in matches against speed-loving players who are tall, if you have a slice that allows you to force them to play a very low bounce that skids, they'll suffer a lot.

When I was a player, if you used the slice, you may end up exchanging slices with your opponent. We kept playing, but nowadays, everything is speed, and there is no time to construct plays. What happens? If you are a good slicer, the answer to your very low bouncing slice that skids will be the universal way to play; destroy the ball. And hitting a forehand at 100mph with someone who masters that kind of slice is, I assure you, not easy at all.

DS - Give me three pillars to have a good slice.

Roig - You tend to hit the ball too hard in executing the slice. To hit the ball too much with the arm, the famous axe. In the slice, you have to arrive on time. You have to feel the ball very well when you accompany the movement; you have to bring the tip of the racquet quite far back so that it almost reaches your neck, and the shoulder has to be below the neck, that's right. If I have less swing, I will automatically feel that I don't have enough power, and what will I do? Speed up the swing, lose contact time with the racquet, and lose feeling. If I speed up my swing too much, the ball my opponent will have to deal with will not have quality. However, if I have gone well back with my shoulder, without reaching my neck, I will unconsciously feel that I have the strength for the execution, then I have time, and I don't have to give ‘the axe.’ I don't hit the ball; I follow it, and it flies very well. You must watch the ball's trajectory with both eyes for as long as possible. If you stand at an angle to the baseline when the ball hasn't reached you yet, you stand still and block your movement toward the ball. You must be on time to make the gesture in one movement to prevent the backhand from stopping.

 

[I get cramps]

3)

Roig - When you run to hit the slice, you must free yourself when you hit the ball. If you are right-handed and have to defend with the slice, the sequence of steps is left, right, and then you fall back to the left to balance again. But, the way I release on the last step is essential to generate power; you don't have to feel that you generate power with your arm, but with your hips and shoulders, this will give you more ball quality when the ball comes off the string.

DS - Continental Grip always?

Roig - Yes, because otherwise you will get into difficulties. Rafa historically had a hard time mastering the slice and even the volley because he had a closed grip. I think he improved a lot on this point. He has an excellent leg movement that is superior to his slice execution.

A very recommendable exercise for mastering the slice is to play slow and very high balls to the tennis player's backhand and play those slices with length.

DS - Ah..., he should bring those balls down with his slice.

Roig - No, it's not about him bringing the balls down; he has to play them long, and that's what's important. If a ball comes high, you can play it long; he doesn't need to play the ball very long, but long and with speed. For you to feel the slice, the shot's trajectory must be long. It is one of the most challenging strokes—getting a slow slice ball and hitting it back long with your slice is a sign that your movement is good. Usually, the slow-sliced ball is walloped by most players and goes either into the net or short. That's why I insist on practicing the slice by throwing high balls to your player, as he will need a lot of contact time between his racquet and the ball.

DS - Is the slice approach low and deep, or is it more important that it is low?

Roig - It will depend on the situation of the opponent.

If the approach slice is short, it will make it difficult for the opponent to pass you. You cannot try a good passing shot if the approach shot is short and skids. Consider whether you will create an angle and how much of an angle you will hit.

DS - Francis, the firm wrist is still the orthodoxy. Does it stay steady at all times?

Roig—The wrist never breaks; however, if I hold the racket with all my strength, my stroke will lack speed.

I mean, two-handed backhand players hit flatter fundamentally because they can't move the tip of the racquet as much as one-handers; they have less range and freedom of movement. Your wrist can't break, but if you have done the movement mentioned above well, you won't need that degree of firmness you mention. The ball will not weigh you down in the strings. If you do the movement wrong, then the ball will feel heavy, and you will overhit. This is a consequence of a bad execution that leads to a bad feel of the ball. Sometimes, the ball comes out of the strings very well, and we don't know why; that is because we have coordinated very well. It is as essential to understand why you are doing it right as it is to see why you are doing it wrong because if you understand why you did it right, it is very likely that your shot will be similar the next day. But if you don't know why you played well, you can play badly again in any number of matches.

DS - Francis, where does the slice swing, the forward swing, originate? We are referring to the rotations, but it comes from the shoulder, the elbow?

Roig - The strength from the legs. If you coordinate them well, you will have the proper movement. When you run towards the ball, the most essential thing that will give you the timing is the movement of your hand. If I bring my hand back too fast, I will stop and stay static. I have to move my hand progressively and in rhythm with the speed of the incoming ball. If my legs move in step with the speed of the incoming ball, I will have time to hit my hand with speed when I reach the end of my trajectory. My hand trajectory will be coming to an end, and then without stopping, I will hit; I will accompany the ball. When you are going toward the incoming ball, your hand will dictate whether you are keeping time. If you carry the racket back too fast, you will run out of time. And, of course, finish the trajectory of the racquet well.

If you are going fast and lack finish, i.e., you don't see how the ball leaves the racquet, then you didn't start the stroke well either.

DS - Which players have surprised you with their development this year? Did anyone surprise you?

Shapovalov has evolved. He has more sense of error than a while ago. He doesn't give away as many points to his opponents as he used to, but he has a lot of room for improvement. It is uncomfortable to play against him today. Shapovalov has strokes that are not taught, are of great innate quality, and have excellent ball speed. You can't often read the directions he chooses for his shots. He has problems with his second serve and double faults. I expected him to improve more during this period, but we must wait longer. He is a future slam winner, IMV.

Tsitsipas is perhaps the most mature of his generation. I would highlight his attitude on the court and his physical condition. I think his backhand still needs to improve a lot. I knew it would be tough for him to play on grass.

DS - You weren't surprised by his defeat. [Tiafoe beat Tsitsipas in straights without tie-breaks in the first round of Wimbledon.]

Roig - No, I wasn't surprised. Stefanos is far from the pattern that demands you to play on grass today. On grass, both on his backhand and forehand, he has a good gesture. In his return of serve he has a massive room for improvement. He could improve his hand skills a lot. But, overall, he has been the most stable player of his generation. He looks like a grand slam winner to me.

Zverev is a great competitor. Despite having big problems with his serve and being criticized for his performance in slams, he has been consistently among the top eight players in the world for the last three years. Having those problems mentioned above shows his ability to compete. His forehand has improved a lot. Regarding his volley and hand skills, he has a tremendous upside.

Thiem. I feel bad about what is happening to Dominic because I consider him an extraordinary professional. I have an excellent relationship with his team, and I think Dominic is a good person. Those moments of stagnation have happened to an interesting number of players because? Winning a grand slam, your first grand slam wears you down. You need a lot of energy. He's a player who works his tail off. Dominic has a very high level of play, but he's always driving his car at a very high rpm; when he's not in an excellent condition to compete, he's a very vulnerable player. Thiem can't have lost any technical level. His strokes are magnificent. These dynamics can be challenging to change, but I'm sure he'll manage it.

Medvedev is playing at a level I expected from him. He is an unorthodox player but very pragmatic and intelligent. Lately, I've seen him working hard physically. IMV is the best candidate to win the USO.