I'm gonna chime in. The issue IMO is that Nadal and his clan, or at least considering what Toni generally says in his interviews, seem to believe Nadal plays tennis as it's meant to be played. Careful, this isn't the same as "playing tennis the way it makes you win". But that's the best way I can put that in words. Big serves and short points aren't tennis, S&Vs players won't stay near the baseline on grass, people want to see the players fighting, Wawrinka doesn't give you time, etc. One can be critical of these statements or not, I don't think it's the point there. The implied point is that Nadal plays tennis they way it's supposed to be played. It means that since he's playing tennis how he should be playing tennis, the difference between win and loss is either injuries, not working hard enough, and sometimes the other opponent being in the zone.
To me that's the core issue: thinking this way is fine as long as you can win this way. But since the beginning of the year (and almost since last USO), Nadal keeps repeating that he needs to work harder and harder. He's been saying that in interviews countless times. But considering he's 29 and has already a lot of mileage on him, he can only work so hard during one day to keep the same level of play. Any harder and he'd have to add another hour to the clock. And yet, all that hard work only has him crashing through the rankings in an absurdly abrupt manner. But he's entertained with the thought that he way he plays is what he should be doing on court. There were no injury excuses or so few during this year, so it isn't the problem. The way he thinks and they way his clan thinks (or at least, Toni), Nadal cannot change his mental frame. Question his game, his current abilities, what he actually can do in this day and age. He'll keep working his hardest for sure, but that's obviously currently not going anywhere. I believe he'll rise through the rankings at some point this year, but right now it isn't looking like it.
That's why I think he needs a second opinion besides Toni's. Nada needs to look in the mirror seriously and reassess what he can do and what he should do on a tennis court now that he's 29. Because you can only work so hard. What has been working for the past 10+ years isn't what's working right now, and there's no evidence so far that it's what's gonna work in the future either.
