Nadal Hints at Ditching Toni

[OddJack]

London: Spanish tennis Rafael Nadal has hinted that he may call time on his association with his coach and uncle Toni Nadal.

Rafael was beaten by World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the US Open final last Sunday and is said to be anxiously contemplating a life-changing decision.

"You never know what is in the future. The time has now come when I can say more to him than I have done previously. I’m not kidding when I say that from now on I will answer him back because I have more opinions than I had before,” the Daily Express quoted Nadal, as saying

“If other people outside my family said to me what he says, then it would be very difficult to keep working together. Also he has three kids, and sometimes he gets tired of travelling. So, far I’ve been happy with how I’ve played this year, but not with my matches against Djokovic. He’s my motivation to play better,” he added Toni had introduced tennis to Rafael at the age of four".

Rafael also played football and could have gone professional, but when Rafael was 12-years-old, Toni told him that he would achieve greater success in tennis, and from then on Toni became Rafael’s tennis coach, mentor, support system, strategist, and emotional anchor.

Toni had trained Rafael on poor courts with bad tennis balls, just to teach Rafael that winning or losing isn’t about the quality of courts, strings, lights or balls, but that it is about attitude, discipline, and perspective. [/I]


http://zeenews.india.com/sports/ten...lowing-us-open-defeat-to-djokovic_729618.html

 

[Clarky21]

It'll never happen.

 

[OddJack]

For Rafa changing coaches is like a family turmoil.

He talks about change like some kid talks about getting mature and now is able or provide his own opinions to his seniors.

This is what I mean when I talk about personality issues.

 

[Xizel]

It'll never happen.

"Yeah right" is what I want to say to Nadal.

 

[rommil]

Rafa has more oddities in his personality that we don't get to see on TV which Toni deals with better than an outsider would. So it would be tricky for him to get another coach who would be willing to deal with his mental disorder.

 

[Fedace]

Who should Nadal hire ??? needs a brilliant tactician. like Goran Ivanisevic.......

 

[aphex]

Ralph will stop lactating from Tio's teet?
His mental age must have reached 3. Vamos!

 

[rdis10093]

nadal will never switch

 

[World Beater]

Rafa is immensely competetive.

he was literally seething after his loss to djokovic.

he keeps bringing up his losses to novak - its obviously on his mind.

if he keeps losing - i wouldnt put it past him to get another opinion. Toni will always have his place - but rafa might get a different perspective from someone else.

 

[Ben Hadd]

Maybe it could help his game?

 

[zapvor]

i dont think he will like what he hears.

i have been pondering this for years. the style of play that he uses-how long can he keep that up????? its one thing when you are 19 and 20 yrs old. but when you start getting to 25 and on, you just cant put your body through the same thing like that. even if he wants to keep going his body is going to fail him. sad but true

 

[Xizel]

i dont think he will like what he hears.

i have been pondering this for years. the style of play that he uses-how long can he keep that up????? its one thing when you are 19 and 20 yrs old. but when you start getting to 25 and on, you just cant put your body through the same thing like that. even if he wants to keep going his body is going to fail him. sad but true

He needs a tactician, not a play style change.

 

[sureshs]

Nadal and Djokovic are the two greatest players ever to have played the game. So it is difficult for them to find a coach from the pool of people who played in the past.

 

[TheTruth]

What about Novak? His style is just as physical to me. He stretches all over the place and puts his body into contortionist mode. He also has the most retirements on tour. Shouldn't his body give out as well?

How many people in a competitive sport such as tennis hasn't declined or hung up the rackets by age 29-30, regardless of their style of play in this era of physicality?

Most players backs give out, regardless of style of play. I think that's a crock of hooey dreamed up by the commentators.

Anyway, to OP.

It's possible, because anything is possible in life.

 

[zapvor]

He needs a tactician, not a play style change.

so we hope. but his body cant keep it up. remember when you were young? how fast can you chase a ball down now?

 

[zapvor]

What about Novak? His style is just as physical to me. He stretches all over the place and puts his body into contortionist mode. He also has the most retirements on tour. Shouldn't his body give out as well?

How many people in a competitive sport such as tennis hasn't declined or hung up the rackets by age 29-30, regardless of their style of play in this era of physicality?

Most players backs give out, regardless of style of play. I think that's a crock of hooey dreamed up by the commentators.

Anyway, to OP.

It's possible, because anything is possible in life.

thats true. the modern game is more stressful than ever. so for nadal's style fo player it's even more taxing.

 

[Mick]

i don't think changing coach would help him beat djokovic in his current form.

 

[BeHappy]

i don't think changing coach would help him beat djokovic in his current form.

I thought he'd found the answer tactically in the third set, at one point he won 9 out of 10 points in a row. I really think if he hadn't pulled his hamstring he would have won the match. That third set was the best tennis I've seen Nadal play since 2007.

Maybe he should hire leonard bergalin ?

Who could know more about the game than his uncle toni? He's unbelievably smart. Nadal plays incredibly intelligent tennis and that goes back to Toni.

It's interesting the way Nadal is handling this compared to how Federer has handled losing to Nadal. Federer was quiet and dignified about it. But Nadal is just going crazy. Screaming in anger and confusion during the match and talking about it all the time in press conferences.

 

[scotus]

How about Brad Gilbert?

Because of Rafa and his family's less than fluent English skills, Brad just might stop being the incessant chatterbox that he usually is, and that might make for a very happy and lasting relationship.

 

[OddJack]

Yes it's possible, but not in form of an exchange. More like a second guy sitting in the box or on the background. It's hard to imagine Toni not sitting there, I dont think he is going away.

It's "we" after all.

And I disagree that Djoker game is as physical as Nadal. Djoker defends well if he needs to but he has way more tools. He attacked the net twice as Nadal did in the match. Djoker's better serve puts him in less defenive situations. His retrun game is unheard of. He uses drop shots effectively.

How can you compare his game with Nadal's counter pounching game and say it's as physical??

Have a good day. ;D

 

[BeHappy]

Yes it's possible, but not in form of an exchange. More like a second guy sitting in the box or on the background. It's hard to imagine Toni not sitting there, I dont think he is going away.

It's "we" after all.

And I disagree that Djoker game is as physical as Nadal. Djoker defends well if he needs to but he has way more tools. He attacked the net twice as Nadal did in the match. Djoker's better serve puts him in less defenive situations. His retrun game is unheard of. He uses drop shots effectively.

How can you compare his game with Nadal's counter pounching game and say it's as physical??

Have a good day. ;D

I don't think Djokovic has a better serve than Nadal.

 

[OddJack]

I don't think Djokovic has a better serve than Nadal.

Nadal has nothing better than Djoker.

Did you see their second serve stats at the final?

Nadal second serve has been long one of his weaknesses.

 

[BeHappy]

Nadal has nothing better than Djoker.

Did you see their second serve stats at the final?

Nadal second serve has been long one of his weaknesses.

Nadal's forehand is better than either of Djokovic's groundstrokes, but his backhand is inferior so it all balances out I guess. I think Nadal is faster, Djokovic hits the ball much deeper so he has a little more time to run the ball down.

I didn't see their second serve stats. Who has hits more aces a year? They both had hardly any in the USO final.

 

[dominikk1985]

Rafa has more oddities in his personality that we don't get to see on TV which Toni deals with better than an outsider would. So it would be tricky for him to get another coach who would be willing to deal with his mental disorder.

Are you kidding? Of course nadal is strange but he has ridiculous amounts of money. for that kind of money most tennis coaches would do anything.

Any coach in the world wants to work with nadal. what coach greater achievement for a tennis coach then coaching nadal? (exept maybe coaching federer)

 

[djokovic2008]

As a djoker fan I have a lot respect for nadal and some of the disrespect he gets here is jealously. Let's face it he never talks badly about anyone he usually conducts himself well if he wins or loses. When he was just a clay courter he improved to play on all surfaces. He obviously thinks a lot about the game but the djoker problem may be too much for him but I'll bet you he will try his best even if it means changing coaches.

 

[dominikk1985]

Nadal's forehand is better than either of Djokovic's groundstrokes, but his backhand is inferior so it all balances out I guess. I think Nadal is faster, Djokovic hits the ball much deeper so he has a little more time to run the ball down.

I didn't see their second serve stats. Who has hits more aces a year? They both had hardly any in the USO final.

What? novak abuses nadals FH with his BH. and now that his FH got better he also abuses his BH.

nadals BH might work against rogers BH but novaks BH kills nadals soft FH spins.

 

[Mick]

Nadal has nothing better than Djoker.

i agree. when they got into a rally, i always feel that djokovic could end the point with a winner and that usually is what would happen. only chance for nadal is somehow djokovic's form would drop or somehow nadal could improve his form.

 

[OddJack]

I just checked the stats...Djoker's is few percent better. At end of the match he was not serving very well.

And I dont know why you think Nadal Fh is better since he had way less Fh winners than Djoker. His Fh did nothing for him but sending in some short balls.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Also Djokovich adds tempo by hitting early and through the ball instead of ripping the ball like crazy...

 

[junk]

wouldn't be surprised to see him hire Carlos Moya

 

[RCizzle65]

What about Novak? His style is just as physical to me. He stretches all over the place and puts his body into contortionist mode. He also has the most retirements on tour. Shouldn't his body give out as well?

Well Djokovic can play as physical as Nadal, as seen by their matches, but he's always been more offensive minded than Nadal. He stands closer to the baseline and is looking for an aggressive return, as opposed to Nadal who most of the time just puts it back in play since he knows he can use his legs and strokes to get back and win the point. Look at Federer/Djokovic matches, a lot of the points are quick. His matches can get physical like I said, but he doesn't want to play that way all the time, look he just retired against Del Potro in Davis Cup after 4 or 5 days rest.

 

[OddJack]

Moya?

Moya is there free, has been since ever.

He's no strategist anyway.

 

[Netspirit]

He needs Todd Martin. To work on the serve, no?

Nobody beats Rafael Nadal 7 times in a row!

 

[OddJack]

If what said on that webstie is true it's very surprising. I never heard of a player that talks like that about his coach.
First his frustration with ITF and now this.
More serious news maybe coming out

 

[rascaypica]

this news ares o old... and completely out of contest. Dont take this much into account

 

[Noltae]

Maybe Rafa should try a heavier racquet?

 

[Ash_Smith]

He also has Toni Colom, who travels with him 12 weeks of the year and has coached him since he was 12 and Francis Roig, with whom he has also worked an travelled in the past. If he did work less with Toni Nadal I could see Toni Colom travelling more with him.

cheers

 

[TheMagicianOfPrecision]

I think there is a bigger chance that Toni will ditch Rafael!:twisted:

 

[Xizel]

Nadal's forehand is better than either of Djokovic's groundstrokes

We're not comparing their forehands in a match against Fed, we're comparing it to each other. Nadal's lefty FH is a specific anti-Fed weapon and that's about it.

 

[scotus]

IMHO, Rafa needs to work on depth control on his groundies.

His shots usually fall short but even more so when he is tight.

When you see his groundies constantly land around the opponent's service line, you know he is losing the match.

 

[rommil]

Moya?

Moya is there free, has been since ever.

He's no strategist anyway.

Moya would just get Rafa pregnant.

 

[gsharma]

Moya would just get Rafa pregnant.

LOL 10 pregnancies.

 

[TennisFan3]

LOL..that article has no indication whatsoever that Nadal is changing his coach. It's some old quotes taken out of context. Much ado about nothing..

Nadal used to have the offensive game early in his career ( see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNlsRBT8-0&t=0m54s ) , but it's too late now to go back to hitting flatter. It's like Roddick, who had a BIG forehand in 2003/2004, but plays like a pusher now.

What needs Nadal needs is a new coach, a heavier frame (basically a higher swing weight) which will make him use less spin and flatten out his groundies..

 

[gsharma]

Actually, I am looking forward to Rafa getting angry. An angry Rafa playing Joker would be a fun match.

 

[sportsfan1]

This seems out of context. I don't remember Nadal every hinting that.
Anyways, based on this years evidence, its not clear what, if anything at all, can help Rafa against Djoker. Rafa with his current game can win 3 GSs a year, sweep the clay court season, beat Fed, bagel Tsonga and make others look like juniors. However he comes up against Djokovic and has no chance, absolutely none whatsoever, of winning the match. I was surprised to see the 2011 USO final being called "one of the greatest matches", when really there was only one winner ever likely in that whole match.

Rafa may just have to accept that his game doesn't match up well against the Djoker (the way Fed had to against Rafa) - the Djoker loves the high balls to both FH and BH that he can easily hit with pace and either acute angles crosscourt or down the line, and Rafa will be out of the point playing catch up.

 

[Mike Sams]

Rafa is immensely competetive.

he was literally seething after his loss to djokovic.

he keeps bringing up his losses to novak - its obviously on his mind.

if he keeps losing - i wouldnt put it past him to get another opinion. Toni will always have his place - but rafa might get a different perspective from someone else.

As it should be. Who the hell would be content losing 6 finals in a row (4 Masters and 2 Slams) to the same guy? :x
If Nadal is to make a change, he'll need to make it soon. Time is not on his side. Times were different back when he was inching and clawing closer to Federer when Nadal was still only 19-20 years of age. Now he has to regroup and change things which have worked for him against everybody else except against one guy.

 

[Mike Sams]

LOL..that article has no indication whatsoever that Nadal is changing his coach. It's some old quotes taken out of context. Much ado about nothing..

Nadal used to have the offensive game early in his career ( see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNlsRBT8-0&t=0m54s ) , but it's too late now to go back to hitting flatter. It's like Roddick, who had a BIG forehand in 2003/2004, but plays like a pusher now.

What needs Nadal needs is a new coach, a heavier frame (basically a higher swing weight) which will make him use less spin and flatten out his groundies..

That would be good news for Federer, especially on clay.:lol::lol:

 

[Mike Sams]

Actually, I am looking forward to Rafa getting angry. An angry Rafa playing Joker would be a fun match.

You didn't see how pissed off Rafa was in the Wimbledon final? He was pissed when he lost the first set and it cost him the second along with it. A pissed off Rafa is a careless Rafa. He plays better when he's in control of his emotions I think.

 

[OddJack]

LOL..that article has no indication whatsoever that Nadal is changing his coach. It's some old quotes taken out of context. Much ado about nothing..

Nadal used to have the offensive game early in his career ( see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNlsRBT8-0&t=0m54s ) , but it's too late now to go back to hitting flatter. It's like Roddick, who had a BIG forehand in 2003/2004, but plays like a pusher now.

What needs Nadal needs is a new coach, a heavier frame (basically a higher swing weight) which will make him use less spin and flatten out his groundies..

so too late to go back hitting flat...but just in time for heavier racket and then flatten out?

:???:

 

[OddJack]

You didn't see how pissed off Rafa was in the Wimbledon final? He was pissed when he lost the first set and it cost him the second along with it. A pissed off Rafa is a careless Rafa. He plays better when he's in control of his emotions I think.

yeah...he was fuming.

He is angry on courts anyways...more so with the Joke on him.