Rafa’s uncle: “My nephew has never won the Finals because they have never done them on clay. Tennis should change like football did in the 90s, but it won’t happen: the top players want everything to stay the same”
Toni Nadal won 14 Slams as coach of his nephew Rafa, but never had the joy of celebrating an ATP Finals title despite the left-handed player being a phenomenon.
Toni, why is this item missing from Rafa’s extraordinary CV?
“Well, first of all because they never put the Finals on clay… Aside from serving, Rafael always played well on all surfaces, but he almost always arrived at the end of the season very tired physically.”
Jannik will face Felix Auger-Aliassime tonight, with whom she has worked. Given his form, do you think he could be a surprise in the tournament?
“It could. Since the US Open Felix has been playing at a very high level, he has put everyone in difficulty, he had a great semi-final with Sinner and another extraordinary match in Paris. I would also pay attention to Shelton who is dangerous due to his serve and because he is left-handed.”
Many complain about injuries due to an overly compressed calendar. What is your opinion on this?
“It’s not a question of the calendar. Now many will disagree, but the real problem is that the ball always goes too fast. It’s not a question of quantity, but of intensity and violence of the gesture. There are almost no more “tactical” players like Coria or Gaudio, who were trying to build. Today it’s often just a competition to see who hits the hardest. And when you make such rapid gestures, when you arrive at full speed on a ball, brake and start again, it’s easy for the body to go to the limit and get hurt. I believe that we should try to slow the game down a bit.”
“I would propose playing with smaller rackets. It would be easier for amateurs and more difficult for professionals, and the game would be less violent. The beauty of tennis is being able to see the gesture. When McEnroe or Nastase played it was all there: gesture, hand, tactics. Tennis is the only sport that starts with a ‘penalty kick’: if you serve well, the opponent doesn’t play… In other disciplines they have changed the rules to increase the spectacle.”
Give us an example…
“Football. After the World Cup in Italia 90 they introduced three new rules: the back pass to the goalkeeper who could no longer catch it with his hands. The three points for the victory: so they started attacking more. And the yellow card: first they could massacre Maradona all the time, then you could no longer come in from behind. This caused a great evolution.”
What needs to happen for a similar revolution to happen in tennis?
“They will never change, because the managers are only interested in the top players. And they prefer that everything remains the same: ‘No, no, if we stay like this I’m number one, number two, we won’t touch anything…’ “.
In today’s tennis, players like Musetti struggle a little more, but his tennis is spectacular.
“Musetti has very good shots, an aggressive game, when he’s well he’s complete. But his tennis – one-handed backhand and forehand, both of great quality – is sometimes a little irregular. If you look at Sinner, he always plays very bent with his legs: when you have a lot of flexion, you control the ball better. Musetti, on the other hand, is more relaxed, and if he doesn’t hit the ball perfectly it tends to escape. Furthermore, one-handed backhand and high trajectories make control more complicated. But let’s talk of a player who beat Alcaraz and played important matches with everyone: the potential is there, it’s also a question of details and trust.”
Many see Sinner as Djokovic 2.0. Do you agree?
“I think Djokovic is a little more complete. Sinner has more speed in his shots, Nole has a little more touch. They have in common the fact that they always impose a high pace and have exceptional ball control, with movements of a very high level. Jannik plays with a very defined scheme: right from the start he imposes a very fast pace, which is difficult for anyone to keep up with.”
Look, what should we expect from these Finals?
“Obviously the big favorites are always Alcaraz and Sinner. In recent tournaments Jannik has played at a very high level, and I believe that in Turin he can start a hair ahead of Carlos, who honestly seems a little less comfortable on this fast surface. It will certainly be a great challenge, not to be missed.”
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