Nadal Hints at Ditching Toni

[Bjorn99]

Everyone on his team should be let go. HOW, HOW, could they let Nadal stand around after the sun had gone down and NOT put on a hoodie track suit, TOP and BOTTOM??? Dumber and dumber.

As soon as I saw that, I said, cramps or hamstring pull coming right up. And voila.

Gimme Nadal for one month only and he goes back to destroying these guys. His balls land way too short, his serve is as predictable as a wife when you come at 3am, and he still ALMOST won.

Good god if this guy had a guy who could actually coach he would straight set Djoker.

And I like Djoker and Federer better than him, but he has so much that he is doing wrong tactically, I see the biggest upside with him..

 

[rafabull]

Moya would just get Rafa pregnant.

Way to use the same joke twice.....

 

[DjokovicForTheWin]

Moya would just get Rafa pregnant.

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, too funny

 

[Medved]

]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?

I just noticed that Novak has a fairly small upper body frame. He's built better for tennis physically than Rafa is. But you have to remember we're talking about beating Djokovic. I haven't seen Rafa lose much to anyone else this year. I have a hard time seeing how coaching changes make much difference for top players at that level. How much better is Federer playing now vs. when he had no coach?

 

[rommil]

Way to use the same joke twice.....

So what? Its my line........

 

[big bang]

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.

Exactly!
If you guys watch the final again you will see that when Rafa was aggressive and kept the ball deep he was in control, but for some reason he became passive and threw away the lead. ******* won because he hit deep consistently and Rafa didnt. Watch the beginning of 1st + 2nd set and the breaker in the third and you can see for yourself.

 

[Bobby Jr]

How about Brad Gilbert?

Because of Rafa and his family's less than fluent English skills, Brad just might ...

......improve Rafa's game with some power balance technology and the Wrist Assist device.

 

[lendledbergfan]

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.

Yeah, Nadal won 42% and Djokovic won 44% on second serves. Not a big difference here. Moreover, it was higher for Nadal for the first three sets.

 

[big bang]

Everyone on his team should be let go. HOW, HOW, could they let Nadal stand around after the sun had gone down and NOT put on a hoodie track suit, TOP and BOTTOM??? Dumber and dumber.

As soon as I saw that, I said, cramps or hamstring pull coming right up. And voila.

Gimme Nadal for one month only and he goes back to destroying these guys. His balls land way too short, his serve is as predictable as a wife when you come at 3am, and he still ALMOST won.

Good god if this guy had a guy who could actually coach he would straight set Djoker.

And I like Djoker and Federer better than him, but he has so much that he is doing wrong tactically, I see the biggest upside with him..

Jeez how can you keep up that extreme level of BS, smoking that green stuff again are we?

 

[Sid_Vicious]

Exactly!
If you guys watch the final again you will see that when Rafa was aggressive and kept the ball deep he was in control, but for some reason he became passive and threw away the lead. ******* won because he hit deep consistently and Rafa didnt. Watch the beginning of 1st + 2nd set and the breaker in the third and you can see for yourself.

I hear very angry *********s stampeding towards this thread.

 

[Rippy]

Nadal will definitely not get rid of Toni.

 

[West Coast Ace]

nadal will never switch

Especially since his career is almost over. 2-3 more years, tops.

Nadal and Djokovic are the two greatest players ever to have played the game.

Nice trolling.

How about Brad Gilbert?

No way it would be anything but a Spaniard.

 

[OddJack]

Yeah, Nadal won 42% and Djokovic won 44% on second serves. Not a big difference here. Moreover, it was higher for Nadal for the first three sets.

Djoker back pain brought down his percentage.

First serves in % is not that important as serve games won % is.
Nadal was broken left and right from the first day.

The serve game percent for Nadal is 48%, Djoker 58%. There is enough difference for ya.

 

[TennisFan3]

Everyone on his team should be let go. HOW, HOW, could they let Nadal stand around after the sun had gone down and NOT put on a hoodie track suit, TOP and BOTTOM??? Dumber and dumber.

As soon as I saw that, I said, cramps or hamstring pull coming right up. And voila.

Gimme Nadal for one month only and he goes back to destroying these guys. His balls land way too short, his serve is as predictable as a wife when you come at 3am, and he still ALMOST won.

Good god if this guy had a guy who could actually coach he would straight set Djoker.

And I like Djoker and Federer better than him, but he has so much that he is doing wrong tactically, I see the biggest upside with him..

Best post on this thread!

While I don't think Nadal could ever straight set Djoker, but he could improve a LOT tactically and technically. He needs a world class "proven" coach, who will be held accountable (unlike Toni). He also needs a fitness trainer who understands what Rafael needs to do to preserve his body. I mean he's had hamstring problems twice this yr. How DUMB can you be as a trainer, if you let your player go and pull a muscle just after playing for 20 mins? This is what happened in the AO against Ferrer, where Nadal got into trouble because of one longish game early in the match.

Based on what I've seen this year, Toni doesn't have a clue w.r.t tactics needed to approach a match with Djokovic. How else could he have the EXACT same strategy against Djoko for 6 matches. OR, the other possibility is that Nadal might be the most stubborn athlete EVER, and never listens to his coach.

Choose your poison..

It's Nadal's will that's keeping the matches close against Djoko. He is totally outclassed tactically, but in the USOpen he just dug and refused to go down in straights. I haven't seen anyone concentrate so hard and put so much effort on a tennis court...

 

[TennisFan3]

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

:???:

I said that's what he needs to do. But as I said earlier it might be too late. I mean, I'm sure Nadal knows this too, so why didn't he do so till now? He doesn't need to wait for 9 months and 6 losses to Djoker to conclude that his spinny moonballs don't do jack against Djoko.

I don't think he has the guts to ever separate from Toni. If you read his book you will understand the kind of control Toni had over Nadal, it's almost frightening. I'm sure as hell that such a thing would never be permitted in the US..

 

[rommil]

How about Brad Gilbert?

Because of Rafa and his family's less than fluent English skills, Brad just might........

........ make Rafa more nervous and neurotic Nadal would be tugging on his Victoria Secretions so hard he would rip it on every changeover.

 

[rommil]

No way it would be anything but a Spaniard.

Me no think Brad will throw away his black Metallica shirts and wear a flourescent Los del Rio blouse...,...... Heyyy Macarena!!!!

 

[Caesar]

Rafa clearly came to terms with the child abuse years ago. I can't see any reason why he'd dump Toni now.

 

[Fedace]

What about Marat Safin as the coach ?? I think he might know how to beat the Joker.

 

[rommil]

What about Marat Safin as the coach ?? I think he might know how to beat the Joker.

Safin would get Rafa pregnant too.

 

[Clarky21]

Safin would get Rafa pregnant too.

Boy,that Nadal must get around or something considering he keeps getting pregnant by different folks. Lol.

 

[TennisFan3]

I know it will never happen. But if we were in fantasy land, CONNORS would be ideal coach for Rafael.

He could teach the Spaniard a thing or two about returning serves, flattening out his groundies and standing at the baseline to play offensive tennis..

 

[Clarky21]

I know it will never happen. But if we were in fantasy land, CONNORS would be ideal coach for Rafael.

He could teach the Spaniard a thing or two about returning serves, flattening out his groundies and standing at the baseline to play offensive tennis..

Nadal will never get rid of Toni and hire anyone else. Especially not someone who isn't Spanish. His stubborn loyalty will see him go down in flames before he gets any kind of outside help. It's pathetic and a shame at the same time.

 

[Bjorn99]

Best post on this thread!

While I don't think Nadal could ever straight set Djoker, but he could improve a LOT tactically and technically. He needs a world class "proven" coach, who will be held accountable (unlike Toni). He also needs a fitness trainer who understands what Rafael needs to do to preserve his body. I mean he's had hamstring problems twice this yr. How DUMB can you be as a trainer, if you let your player go and pull a muscle just after playing for 20 mins? This is what happened in the AO against Ferrer, where Nadal got into trouble because of one longish game early in the match.

Based on what I've seen this year, Toni doesn't have a clue w.r.t tactics needed to approach a match with Djokovic. How else could he have the EXACT same strategy against Djoko for 6 matches. OR, the other possibility is that Nadal might be the most stubborn athlete EVER, and never listens to his coach.

Choose your poison..

It's Nadal's will that's keeping the matches close against Djoko. He is totally outclassed tactically, but in the USOpen he just dug and refused to go down in straights. I haven't seen anyone concentrate so hard and put so much effort on a tennis court...

Thanks really appreciate that. I was STUNNED to see Nadal STILL in his shorts and tshirt. I would have jumped out there and covered him up from head to toe. That really showed me a lot right there.

 

[TennisFan3]

Nadal will never get rid of Toni and hire anyone else. Especially not someone who isn't Spanish. His stubborn loyalty will see him go down in flames before he gets any kind of outside help. It's pathetic and a shame at the same time.

Exactly. That's what I said earlier. There is nothing to suggest that Nadal is even contemplating outside help, what to talk of getting a full time coach. There is no quote at all to this effect. On the contrary Nadal has categorically asserted that Toni will be his coach forever, every time.

Whoever in the press wrote this article is letting their imagination run wild. Pathetic journalism actually. But then again, it's all become a little too predictable these days. I must be watching Groundhog day with Djoko-Nadal finals.. So I guess, maybe it's time for these wild stories

 

[rommil]

Boy,that Nadal must get around or something considering he keeps getting pregnant by different folks. Lol.

More excuse for him to use:

" me no play no more, bag of water leaking on court, no?"

 

[MichaelNadal]

Unfortunately, it's not gonna happen.

 

[Netspirit]

What's that pregnancy joke all about? It looks like I have missed it.

 

[rommil]

What's that pregnancy joke all about? It looks like I have missed it.

It's more about Moya and Safin

 

[TheTruth]

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.

I agree that he's more offensive-minded, looking to pull the trigger sooner than Rafa, but to me, he throws his body into every shot (which looks unnatural), and stretches his joints to the limit.

I disagree that Nadal mostly puts the ball back into play. I think he's more careful and goes for the winner more conservatively which keeps his errors down.

I'm not sure about how quick the majority of Novak's matches with Federer are, those last two were pretty long. One was over four hours IIRC and the other one was long too, unless you're talking about the more distant past. That would put it into more perspective. I don't keep up with Djokovic and Federer as much as I do Nadal so I'll take your word for it.

 

[TheTruth]

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.

Agree. This has been his problem all year long.

 

[Sentinel]

How horrible of Uncle Toni to switch Nadal from football to tennis. If Rafa had stuck to football, both games would have benefited immensely.

 

[Sentinel]

quoted for truth

Nadal and Djokovic are the two greatest pushers ever to have played the game.

way to go, Sir.

 

[Mike Sams]

Everyone on his team should be let go. HOW, HOW, could they let Nadal stand around after the sun had gone down and NOT put on a hoodie track suit, TOP and BOTTOM??? Dumber and dumber.

As soon as I saw that, I said, cramps or hamstring pull coming right up. And voila.

Gimme Nadal for one month only and he goes back to destroying these guys. His balls land way too short, his serve is as predictable as a wife when you come at 3am, and he still ALMOST won.

Good god if this guy had a guy who could actually coach he would straight set Djoker.

And I like Djoker and Federer better than him, but he has so much that he is doing wrong tactically, I see the biggest upside with him..

You're just repeating the same thing everybody on this forum has been saying for years.:lol::lol:
And besides, Nadal was lucky he didn't lose in straight sets. I don't see much upside for him. He's had a vulnerable serve for most of his career and is a natural claycourter who plays from far behind the baseline and goes defensive when under pressure.

 

[Mike Sams]

I know it will never happen. But if we were in fantasy land, CONNORS would be ideal coach for Rafael.

He could teach the Spaniard a thing or two about returning serves, flattening out his groundies and standing at the baseline to play offensive tennis..

Why doesn't Nadal get Federer as a practice partner and ask him for advice on how to beat Djokovic?

 

[Mike Sams]

Exactly!
If you guys watch the final again you will see that when Rafa was aggressive and kept the ball deep he was in control, but for some reason he became passive and threw away the lead. ******* won because he hit deep consistently and Rafa didnt. Watch the beginning of 1st + 2nd set and the breaker in the third and you can see for yourself.

How do you expect Nadal to hit the ball deep consistently when he's standing so far back and basically playing a naturally defensive clay-court style?

 

[Big_Dangerous]

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.

That's because their probably the two best returners on the ATP World Tour.

 

[MotherMarjorie]

There is something physically/psychologically happening with Rafael that his Uncle has absolutely no control over. Its not Toni's fault. Its not Rafael's fault. Its called a natural progression in the sport of tennis which has seen great players decline at different juntures of their career. Rafael has seen his tennis game peak, similar to Bjorn Borg at the same age. See John McEnroe. What Rafael does at this point is between him and the tennis gods. We know what Borg did. And that's all Mother Marjorie has to say about that.

Mother Marjorie Ann
Empress of Talk Tennis Warehouse

 

[Agassifan]

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.

You misspelt Federer there

 

[TennisFan3]

Why doesn't Nadal get Federer as a practice partner and ask him for advice on how to beat Djokovic?

Fed probably wouldn't give Nadal the time of the day, much less coach him. Especially when he is still playing..

 

[Fedalfan]

You misspelt Federer there

Exactly! Awesome observation!

 

[Lsmkenpo]

Nadal is angry at Uncle Toni for fooling him into believing he had magical powers. Uncle Toni's magic hasn't helped him beat Djokovic this year, the charade is over, Nadal now knows the truth.

http://gototennis.com/2010/09/26/toni-nadal-i-told-rafa-i-had-magical-powers/

Tennis magazine.: Is it true that when he was a kid, you made your nephew believe that you had magical powers?

Toni: Yes (smiles). Rafa was the little boy in the family and everybody always had so much fun with him. As a joke, I made him believe all sorts of things: that I was a star at AC Milan, that I had won the Tour de France five times with a moped (laughs)

Indeed, I also told him that I had magical powers. One day, he must have been about 7 or 8, we lacked a player in the 12-year group to compete in a team event. I took him along with us and to reassure him, I told him that he didn’t need to worry if the match went badly because I have the ability to make it rain. It was winter. So, when the match got tight at the start, it started to rain and then, Rafa turned to me and said: “It’s alright, you can make it stop now, I’m going to win!”

Another time, we were watching a match of Ivan Lendl on tv. It was a replay of an older match during which Lendl retired. Rafa didn’t know that. So, at the exact moment when Lendl retired, I told him: “Alright, I’m going to make Lendl lose.” He couldn’t believe his eyes. I have a lot of examples like that.

 

[Agassifan]

Nadal and Djokovic are the two greatest players to fight for 2nd place behind Fed

fixed for accuracy

 

[15_ounce]

How horrible of Uncle Toni to switch Nadal from football to tennis. If Rafa had stuck to football, both games would have benefited immensely.

I didn't get this at first, but then I chuckled.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

Another time, we were watching a match of Ivan Lendl on tv. It was a replay of an older match during which Lendl retired. Rafa didn’t know that. So, at the exact moment when Lendl retired, I told him: “Alright, I’m going to make Lendl lose.” He couldn’t believe his eyes. I have a lot of examples like that.

tio toni did it again recently, when there was a replay of the 2010 QF vs murray on TV... the nadal was begging his uncle "please don't make me lose again, tio toni !".

but the cruel uncle did it again.

(some rumors suggest he also uses his superpowers when they're watching djokovic on TV... and it still works !)

 

[Bjorn99]

Nadal and (Cy) Borg are two of the most obvious cases of mind control on the tour. The mind is a very big element of pro tennis and pro sport and a lot of coaches wield a lot of control. Lennart Bergelin exercised similar control over Borg as well, and it came unraveling around the same age.

I hope Nadal doesn't get into the same stuff Borg did, towards the end of his career to establish his independence. I won't go into details.

 

[aphex]

tio toni did it again recently, when there was a replay of the 2010 QF vs murray on TV... the nadal was begging his uncle "please don't make me lose again, tio toni !".

but the cruel uncle did it again.



(some rumors suggest he also uses his superpowers when they're watching djokovic on TV... and it still works !)

 

[Sentinel]

With The King getting injured, this is not the time to dump Toni. Fish around for a replacement, and when you find a good one, then throw Toni to the lions.

 

[BULLZ1LLA]

It'll never happen.

(Yeah....

Murray is as good as through to the final. The only possible obstacle he has is Delpo,and Delpo has never beaten Andy in 4 tries. Murray-Djokovic final with Djokovic winning in straights. Book it.

Bs. Nalby is a big problem for Nadal match-up wise. You may just be eating these words come tomorrow.

I think it's going to Djokovic-Murray. And if Delpo lights a fire I think he could make the final as well.

)

 

[NamRanger]

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.

Only on clay. Djokovic's BH is clearly way better than Nadal's forehand on HC's, and I'd argue that it is just as good on grass.