Toni Nadal, the lifetime coach of Rafael Nadal, has told Spanish media that his nephew is still confident that he can once again win a Grand Slam title.
The world No.5 has won 14 Grand Slam titles in his career, including a record nine French Open titles. His last triumph occurred almost two years ago at the 2014 French Open when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final. Since then, the 29-year-old has endured a roller coaster experience on the tour with him dropping to 10th in the world ranking in June 2015, his lowest position for ten years.
Speaking about Nadal’s recent performance on the tour, Uncle Toni justified the results by arguing that every athlete goes through good and bad stages in their career. Instead of comparing his nephew with other players on the tour, the 55-year-old cited Argentine football player Lionel Messi as an example.
“Even a phenomenon like Messi through good and bad times.” Uncle Toni told AS.com when discussing Nadal’s mixed form on the tour.
At the 2015 ATP Finals in London, Nadal defeated Andy Murray to grab his first win over a top-3 player for almost 18 months. His last triumph over a world No.1 player was in the final of the 2013 US Open when he defeated Djokovic. Speaking about Nadal’s chances of adding another major title to his collection, uncle Toni remains level-headed.
“It is becoming more difficult as the years pass and is not easy to win, but the enthusiasm and confidence aren’t lost. I always see life positively and I do not know whether we will be able to get back to winning major titles, but I am confident about it.” Toni Nadal said.
In order for Nadal to once again get his hand on a major trophy, Uncle Toni has admitted that his pupil needs to improve to keep up with the latest changes in the sport. In today’s game aggressiveness and power is becoming a growing factor.
“The serve is not good enough and the ‘drive’ doesn’t do enough damage. Tennis has changed, has gone from being a strategy game to being one of shock and there is no choice but to adapt”. He said.
This week the Spaniard is playing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells where he will play Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals on Friday. Nadal, who is seeded fourth in the Masters 1000 tournament, is yet to defeat a top-20 player on the tour this year.
