Toni Nadal, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach has insisted that it is the focused approach of his nephew and 19-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, which has set them apart from the younger generation and it is in part responsible for their continued dominance on the ATP tour.
Toni, who coached Rafa until 2016 before former French Open champion Carlos Moya was appointed the 16-time Major winner’s coach has criticized the rising brigade for not showing the kind of commitment towards the sport that would lead them to become Grand Slam champions in the not so distant future.
Continuing his criticism of the young guns, he said the likes of Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios were quite immature and that’s why they are unable to accomplish consistent results on the men’s circuit.
“Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and someone else, like David Ferrer, have been very focused with a very big ability of [being able to] sacrifice,” Toni Nadal told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
“For Federer, despite his age and all that he’s won, tennis continues to be a priority.
“The same can be said for Rafa, despite all his injuries.
“There have always been very good players, but this generation may have been more committed.
“Nadal, Federer and Djokovic won 47 Grand Slam titles combined.
“If we take as example Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe’s generation, [though] it was very brilliant as well, we see they only won 26.”
He added: “The generation that was supposed to take over wasn’t good enough [from Federer and Nadal].
“That’s the reflection of society we live in, which is ultra protective with kids.
“When we came to the tour, the best players were aged 21-23.
“Now, at this age most of them on the tour haven’t come of age yet. Why?
“Because kids are more immature and they struggle to develop.”
