Toni Nadal reacts to Federer's victory

[Otacon]

“Each victory of Federer complicates things more for my nephew but, if the injuries steer clear, I hope I won’t see him abandon the fight mentally or accept things as they are.”

“Today, as Roger has moved away a little more from him, I share with many people the great value of this man and the magnitude of his achievements, but also today more than ever Rafael should want to fight to overcome his current setback and find the necessary conviction in his own passion.”

“When Roger Federer understood that he had to evolve the concepts of his game, he did and waited.”

“Good example of intelligence, patience and commitment.

“I believe that his tennis is more relentless today, although the points also seem less colourful to me as the epic longer and more disputed exchanges get lost along the way.

“Only a character subjected precisely to something as irrational as excessive passion and obsession for what one does is able to withstand what such a long and fruitful career involves.”


https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/912632/Rafael-Nadal-message-Roger-Federer-rivalry-uncle-Toni

 

[SinjinCooper]

 

[Fedforever]

This is interesting - although you can never be sure what's been lost in translation. However, assuming that's accurate last year Toni was saying that Nadal would overhaul the titles if he was injury free, now he seems slightly concerned that Nadal won't want to. To be honest, this is my feeling as well but not following him closely I've been doubting my instincts.

 

[tenisdecente]

“When Roger Federer understood that he had to evolve the concepts of his game, he did and waited.”

This is an interesting quote, since Nadal basically plays the same tennis as when he was 17 years old. Where is the evolution in the serve or in the aggresion to win with less effort? You wonder how he says this and cannot see his nephem is stagnant in his own game, even if course it still enough to defeat most of the competition

 

[zagor]

Cilic added to the ever growing list of dangerous players on HC. Need to do one better for USO, make things less complicated for the nephew.

Definitely agree with Tio's remarks about colorful tennis. AO speeding up and tennis becoming serve-oriented again is bad for the game and not what the audience wants to see as evidenced by how much they hate Fed who plays fast paced tennis now.

Can't show your passion, intensity and creativity if the point is over in a few shots. Bring back 5 hours matches and 40 stroke rallies by whatever means neccesarry, raise the net if you have to or even allow just one serve.

 

[Tennisanity]

This proves that it is Nadal's obsession to have the Major record.

 

[fedtennisphan]

This proves that it is Nadal's obsession to have the Major record.

The prove is also Nadal’s whiny demeanor at PCs when he loses at GS and Federer is still in the draw. Also the one way friendship with Federer.

 

[sarmpas]

This proves that it is Nadal's obsession to have the Major record.

No mention of the h2h which is life-support for some of VB.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Well so much for saying the Nadal family are not focused on the slam count.

I have to admit, it is a fun story. One is doing everything to hold the record, the other is doing everything to take it away. I do feel this AO hurt Nadal's chances really badly.

They needed the win, or at worst, needed Federer to lose, so the slam count remains the same. Federer making the gap the same as it was after US 2013, means Nadal has lost four and half years of his career and made zero inroads from that point to this point in time. It is hard to catch someone, when they are winning slams at a faster rate than you. Federer has three of the last five, Nadal has won two of the last five. Nadal's body since USO 2013 has taken a beating, he skipped two slams, pulled out in one before the third round, and had to retire injured in another. Nadal's also got an issue in the sense that Federer is going very strong at Wimbledon too, and just like last year, his RG win could be cancelled out one month later.

RG has become almost a must win for Nadal now, we know historically Nadal plays bad everywhere when he is not the RG champion. And how often you think such a draw like USO 17 will fall into his lap? If Federer wins another slam, then it truly is game over...I simply cannot see a player who has won three slams in the last four and half years, much closer to his prime years, winning another six from this point on...remember he needs five to break the record as it is, but with Federer soaring at Wimbledon, I think the real target will need to be 22 at least.

 

[zagor]

No mention of the h2h which is life-support for some of VB.

Well yes, because no one would exchange H2H lead for slam titls. We all know this.

Nadal leads Fed 3-1 at AO but has 6 times less titles there, I wonder if he feels he's a better AO/HC player as his fans often argue here.

 

[Appels]

It's the first confirmation that I have seen that Nadal is determined to break Federer ' s slam record.

The next few years will be very interesting indeed...

 

[Otacon]

This is an interesting quote, since Nadal basically plays the same tennis as when he was 17 years old. Where is the evolution in the serve or in the aggresion to win with less effort? You wonder how he says this and cannot see his nephem is stagnant in his own game, even if course it still enough to defeat most of the competition

He actually talked about that in the article in spanish :

"When in 2013 or 2014 it was understood in many forums that the Swiss was in the twilight of his career, he was willing to reinvent himself. He did not mind facing the uncertainty when he had already won everything and his reputation was undeniable. He wanted to give himself the opportunity to continue improving his record by doing what I have always asked my nephew to do: make changes on what until now has given you very good results."

 

[sureshs]

It's the first confirmation that I have seen that Nadal is determined to break Federer ' s slam record.

There is no confirmation from Rafael Nadal. It is only Toni Nadal talking, and he is not even coaching Rafa anymore.

 

[icedevil0289]

Fed right now..

No but really Toni almost always manages to crack me up. It kills me how much of a big stink is made about the AO speeding up, one freaking slam in contrast to the other 3 that remain slow or atleast Wimbledon/USO that have immensely slowed down. anyone who ever preaches about variety but then only gets upset about 1 particular surface/tournament that does not suit their own style of play is such a hypocrite imo. You would think every tournament was playing lightning fast when it is quite the opposite.

 

[zagor]

There is no confirmation from Rafael Nadal. It is only Toni Nadal talking, and he is not even coaching Rafa anymore.

When Nadal was talking about a lost opportunity after this AO, what exactly do you think he was refering to?

 

[Fedforever]

but also today more than ever Rafael should want to fight to overcome his current setback and find the necessary conviction in his own passion.”

I hope I won’t see him abandon the fight mentally or accept things as they are.”

I seem to be reading this in a different way to everyone else. To me, this sounds as if Toni is trying to gee up his nephew, as if he's worried that Rafa will not want to continue the fight. If there is an obsession to break the record it seems to be more Toni's than Rafa's.

 

[zagor]

Fed right now..

No but really Toni almost always manages to crack me up. It kills me how much of a big stink is made about the AO speeding up, one freaking slam in contrast to the other 3 that remain slow or atleast Wimbledon/USO that have immensely slowed down. anyone who ever preaches about variety but then only gets upset about 1 particular surface/tournament that does not suit their own style of play is such a hypocrite imo. You would think every tournament was playing lightning fast when it is quite the opposite.

Yeah, it's funny.

We're in a tennis era where you can win USO by returning serve from the VIP box and that features long rallies at Wimbledon but the game is apparently too fast and has lost it's creativity.

If Nadal was playing in the 90s Tio would have been whining about the tour conditions 24/7.

 

[Appels]

There is no confirmation from Rafael Nadal. It is only Toni Nadal talking, and he is not even coaching Rafa anymore.

True, but this is good indication of the type of conversations that Rafa and his family have at the dinner table.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

When Nadal was talking about a lost opportunity after this AO, what exactly do you think he was refering to?

Nadal is playing to break that slam record, it is clear as day. The last thing he wanted to see was Federer turning 20.

 

[Fedforever]

Well so much for saying the Nadal family are not focused on the slam count.

I have to admit, it is a fun story. One is doing everything to hold the record, the other is doing everything to take it away. I do feel this AO hurt Nadal's chances really badly.

They needed the win, or at worst, needed Federer to lose, so the slam count remains the same. Federer making the gap the same as it was after US 2013, means Nadal has lost four and half years of his career and made zero inroads from that point to this point in time. It is hard to catch someone, when they are winning slams at a faster rate than you. Federer has three of the last five, Nadal has won two of the last five. Nadal's body since USO 2013 has taken a beating, he skipped two slams, pulled out in one before the third round, and had to retire injured in another. Nadal's also got an issue in the sense that Federer is going very strong at Wimbledon too, and just like last year, his RG win could be cancelled out one month later.

RG has become almost a must win for Nadal now, we know historically Nadal plays bad everywhere when he is not the RG champion. And how often you think such a draw like USO 17 will fall into his lap? If Federer wins another slam, then it truly is game over...I simply cannot see a player who has won three slams in the last four and half years, much closer to his prime years, winning another six from this point on...remember he needs five to break the record as it is, but with Federer soaring at Wimbledon, I think the real target will need to be 22 at least.

In all our excitement over Fed's 2017/18 it's easy to forget how unlikely it really was. Does Rafa want to play five years in pain, possibly damaging his body, postponing marriage and kids (he's said he doesn't want to have kids until he's off the tour) on the off chance that the stars will align for him in the way they did for Fed? The scenario that Fed could now be ending his career on 17 Slams having done permanent damage to his back was just as likely as the one we actually have at the moment.

 

[Deleted member 756514]

When Nadal was talking about a lost opportunity after this AO, what exactly do you think he was refering to?

So what do you think? Nadal should retire right now to prove that he is not chasing Federer? Ofcourse he is chasing Federer and ofcourse Federer is trying to run further away with his slam wins. Both are trying to win more slams and that's what they are supposed to do. What's the fuss about?

 

[tenisdecente]

He actually talked about that in the article in spanish :

"When in 2013 or 2014 it was understood in many forums that the Swiss was in the twilight of his career, he was willing to reinvent himself. He did not mind facing the uncertainty when he had already won everything and his reputation was undeniable. He wanted to give himself the opportunity to continue improving his record by doing what I have always asked my nephew to do: make changes on what until now has given you very good results."

Thanks for mentioning another statement from Tio Toni. So maybe Nadal is just stubborn after all, and not Uncle Toni's fault for not evolving his tennis? Interesting...

 

[Deleted member 756514]

Nadal is playing to break that slam record

And Federer is playing to extend the slam record.

 

[zagor]

So what do you think? Nadal should retire right now to prove that he is not chasing Federer. Ofcourse he is chasing Federer and ofcourse is trying to run further away with his slam wins. Both are trying to win more slams and that's what they are supposed to do. What's the fuss about?

Didn't say I have a problem with it.

 

[Charlemagne]

Better start training for the next 5 French Opens

 

[JMR]

This proves that it is Nadal's obsession to have the Major record.

Perhaps just the opposite. Maybe it's Toni's personal obsession rather than Rafa's, which is why El Tío is no longer the coach.

 

[Tennease]

“I believe that his tennis is more relentless today, although the points also seem less colourful to me as the epic longer and more disputed exchanges get lost along the way.

"Longer"
"Epic"

This shows us Toni's mentality: "grind your opponents as long as you can"

Sadly it also wears his nephew down. I mean, how many matches are there that he was not able to finish?

The Nadals getting the taste of their own medicine.

 

[zagor]

Nadal is playing to break that slam record, it is clear as day. The last thing he wanted to see was Federer turning 20.

Not sure I've ever seen him so frustarted after a QF loss as his most recent one to Cilic. He even threw some stuff around (nothing major, just wristband or something) which is completely out of character for him.

I definitely think that was in part due to Fed still being in the draw and in great form.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

Nadal should retire right now

finally, the voice of reason

 

[Fedforever]

So what do you think?

As far as I can be unbiased about this, I think he should play as long as he is enjoying it. I don't think he should play ONLY for the sake of breaking the record if he isn't enjoying it and if he's ever told that he's putting his future health in jeopardy.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

And Federer is playing to extend the slam record.

Here, something I wrote earlier in this thread -

One is doing everything to hold the record, the other is doing everything to take it away

 

[RF-18]

Nadal is playing to break that slam record, it is clear as day. The last thing he wanted to see was Federer turning 20.

What do you mean? It's the only reason he is still playing?

 

[zagor]

As far as I can be unbiased about this, I think he should play as long as he is enjoying it. I don't think he should play ONLY for the sake of breaking the record if he isn't enjoying it and if he's ever told that he's putting his future health in jeopardy.

This isn't recreational tennis, both Fed and Nadal are playing for the record books, make no mistake about it. Of course they love the game and have great passion but that's not all that is keeping them out there at this stage.

 

[Deleted member 756514]

As far as I can be unbiased about this, I think he should play as long as he is enjoying it. I don't think he should play ONLY for the sake of breaking the record if he isn't enjoying it and if he's ever told that he's putting his future health in jeopardy.

My point is how are you going to tell who is playing for enjoyment and who is playing for winning? All sportsmen play to win. By that logic Federer should have retired back in 2013 and enjoy in the Swiss alps, but he chose to grind it out and he's getting the rewards now. That is my point. They (and all other players) should continue to play as long as they are ready to take the challenge. If a record is there on the way, well and good.
Ofcourse they care for the sport and they love to play. But winning is the utmost priority. They wouldn't have amassed 20 and 16 slams respectively if they played just for sake of enjoyment.

 

[cc0509]

And Federer is playing to extend the slam record.

That's why it's an interesting battle, i.e. to see which one will win out in the end. They keep each other motivated.

 

[Appels]

Here, something I wrote earlier in this thread -

One is doing everything to hold the record, the other is doing everything to take it away

And it's so much fun to watch.

 

[Fedforever]

Link to the original article

https://elpais.com/deportes/2018/01/28/actualidad/1517123598_693796.html

 

[Deleted member 77403]

In all our excitement over Fed's 2017/18 it's easy to forget how unlikely it really was. Does Rafa want to play five years in pain, possibly damaging his body, postponing marriage and kids (he's said he doesn't want to have kids until he's off the tour) on the off chance that the stars will align for him in the way they did for Fed? The scenario that Fed could now be ending his career on 17 Slams having done permanent damage to his back was just as likely as the one we actually have at the moment.

Now, Nadal is a special player, no doubt, but he is also a lot more injury prone and looks a lot more beat up than Federer to me. He is about to turn 32, his game is still brutally violent, and it is taking a toll. As I stated, after US 2013, Nadal for me left his prime at AO 2014, since then, he has injured his back, his wrists, torn muscles, injured his knees...I know he is very strong willed and will continue to fight, but Federer will be out of his reach IMO. He hasn't caught him up his entire career, at his age, one serious injury and it could be game over at the top for good...or if a player from the next gen finally steps up and stops Fedal, Federer still wins.

 

[cc0509]

What do you mean? It's the only reason he is still playing?

It certainly has to be one of his biggest motivating factors IMO. Let's not kid ourselves.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Not sure I've ever seen him so frustarted after a QF loss as his most recent one to Cilic. He even threw some stuff around (nothing major, just wristband or something) which is completely out of character for him.

I definitely think that was in part due to Fed still being in the draw and in great form.

Because he knew deep inside Federer was going to win and he could now do nothing about it.

 

[Appels]

That's why it's an interesting battle, i.e. to see which one will win out in the end. They keep each other motivated.

And it's so cool that they are so classy about it. Neither Fed nor Nadal has admitted out right that they are battling it out for the slam record. But Uncle Tony has spilled the beans now.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

What do you mean? It's the only reason he is still playing?

The biggest thing is deciding the GOAT according to so many and the media? You can bet that is the biggest reason for someone who has been so driven his whole life, like Nadal.

 

[mike danny]

Well yes, because no one would exchange H2H lead for slam titls. We all know this.

Nadal leads Fed 3-1 at AO but has 6 times less titles there, I wonder if he feels he's a better AO/HC player as his fans often argue here.

That stat is now quite funny in hindsight. Nadal may lead 3-1 at the AO, but since that infamous AO final in 2009, Fed has won 3 AO titles to Nadal's 0. I don't think we'll hear the VB bring up the H2H anymore when it hasn't got Nadal any extra trophies.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

And it's so much fun to watch.

Everyone loves a good story.

 

[Newballs]

Perhaps just the opposite. Maybe it's Toni's personal obsession rather than Rafa's, which is why El Tío is no longer the coach.

Rafa is smarter than Toni, he’s just big into family. Hard to blame him there, even if it is millions of dollars.

 

[cc0509]

And it's so cool that they are so classy about it. Neither Fed nor Nadal has admitted out right that they are battling it out for the slam record. But Uncle Tony has spilled the beans now.

A few years ago Nadal did a candid interview where he basically admitted he wants to beat Fed's slam count if he can and that was when he was still dominating their h2h, i.e. before 2014. I think the interview was from 2013.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

That stat is now quite funny in hindsight. Nadal may lead 3-1 at the AO, but since that infamous AO final in 2009, Fed has won 3 AO titles to Nadal's 0. I don't think we'll hear the VB bring up the H2H anymore when it hasn't got Nadal any extra trophies.

The Fedal AO story is one of the biggest things that destroys H2H talk.

 

[Fedforever]

Now, Nadal is a special player, no doubt, but he is also a lot more injury prone and looks a lot more beat up than Federer to me. He is about to turn 32, his game is still brutally violent, and it is taking a toll. As I stated, after US 2013, Nadal for me left his prime at AO 2014, since then, he has injured his back, his wrists, torn muscles, injured his knees...I know he is very strong willed and will continue to fight, but Federer will be out of his reach IMO. He hasn't caught him up his entire career, at his age, one serious injury and it could be game over at the top for good...or if a player from the next gen finally steps up and stops Fedal, Federer still wins.

There's another danger I think, that every GS Rafa plays from now on there will be an obsessional focus on what that means in terms of getting closer or not to the record. So Rafa will continue to be defined by Federer (in the eyes of the media), just as he has been for much of his career. Is there a satisfaction in being known as "the man who broke Federer's record" rather than "the man who holds the record"?

 

[Deleted member 756514]

Is there a satisfaction in being known as "the man who broke Federer's record" rather than "the man who holds the record"?

Well, if he breaks the record (and that is a big if), he would indeed be known as the 'man who holds the record' for decades to come. In 2009 Federer broke Sampras' record. In 2018 Federer holds the record. As simple as that.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

There's another danger I think, that every GS Rafa plays from now on there will be an obsessional focus on what that means in terms of getting closer or not to the record. So Rafa will continue to be defined by Federer (in the eyes of the media), just as he has been for much of his career. Is there a satisfaction in being known as "the man who broke Federer's record" rather than "the man who holds the record"?

Nadal is the victim of what Federer was a victim of his entire career, when he chased down Sampras record. It's not an easy burden to carry.