After years of criticism, Toni Nadal has decided he will step aside and stop travelling with his nephew Rafael Nadal at the end of this season.
The announcement has come as a shock, not just to the tennis world, but even for some members of the 14-time major champion’s entourage, including agent Benito Perez Barbadillo.
But was the decision a bolt from the blue? Probably not. Toni, Nadal’s coach since the Spaniard first picked up a racket at the age of four, has been contemplating the move for some time and there have been more than a few hints.
“Maybe if next year Rafael is playing not too good, then I think he can think about some changes in his game or in his team,” Toni said in an interview with Agence France-Presse at the 2015 China Open.
Less than four months later, following Nadal’s first-round exit from the 2016 Australian Open, Toni was a bit more explicit in an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Cope. “I understand that in sport results come first and if you have to make a change, you have to do it,” he said.
Weeks later Toni conceded “if I were not his uncle, probably he would have substituted me”.
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Read more
■ Toni Nadal in 'surprise' split with nephew Rafael
■ Watch: Roger Federer 'can't wait' to return to Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
■ Dubai Tennis Championships: Angelique Kerber, Johanna Konta and three others to watch
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With Nadal struggling physically and mentally, there had been a growing chorus – led by former world No 1 John McEnroe – over the past two seasons, urging the Spaniard to make changes to his coaching staff.
Toni, though hurt at those suggestions, had grudgingly started taking those sentiments on board.
“Am I the reason for my nephew’s problems?” he asked on Radio Mallorca, before the start of Indian Wells last year. “I think they give me too much importance, but if I am the cause of why he plays bad, I also have to be the reason for the 14 slams he’s won.”
Fans, though, were not content with the 14 majors. They wanted more and Toni realised a change may be necessary.
But not any change, because Nadal – if you understand his pre-match and on-court rituals – demands a certain order around him. Familiarity has a calming influence on him. And coaching, as Nadal said at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, is not a “business” for him, but a “relationship”.
That is the reason why Toni turned to Carlos Moya, a close friend of Nadal. The uncle called Moya personally to join the team and together, they guided Nadal to his first major final since the 2014 French Open at last month’s Australian Open.
The change, then, seems to be working, at this early juncture at least. But will it be the same once Toni stops travelling with the team, to focus on the youngsters at the Rafael Nadal Academy? A simple yes or no would be amiss given their long, complex, contentious and – often – contradictory relationship.
“Toni was tough on me right from the start, tougher than on the other children,” Nadal wrote in his autobiography Rafa: My Story. “He demanded a lot of me, pressured me hard. He’d use rough language, shout a lot, he’d frighten me.”
Here are a few other observations Nadal made about his relationship with his uncle.
“The atmosphere in our team is tenser when Toni’s around than when he’s not. What I never lose sight of is that, on balance, that tension benefits my game,” he wrote.
“While Toni’s refusal to let me off the hook has its value, in that he pushes me always to improve and do better, it can also be bad because he creates insecurity.”
Travelling without Toni, then, could set Nadal free. A fresh voice could yet see him reach greater heights. Could it all go wrong as well? Probably not, because there is one Toni lesson Nadal will never forget.
“He [Toni] always stressed the importance of endurance,” Nadal wrote. “Endure, put up with whatever comes your way, learn to overcome weakness and pain, push yourself to breaking point but never cave in.”
And as we have seen over the years, with his long catalogue of injuries, Nadal never does.
■ Who is hot?
Grigor Dimitrov
The Bulgarian, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open, has kept his dream start to the season going, winning his second title of the year in front of his home fans in Sofia. Dimitrov, who had defeated three top 10 players on his way to the title in Brisbane, now boasts a 14-1 record for 2017.
■ Who is not?
Dominic Thiem
Winner of four titles in 2016, Thiem has been a slow out of the blocks this season and, coming to Sofia as the top seed, he returned without winning a match, knocked out by world No 87 Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets. The Austrian, it seems, has yet to recover from his exhausting 2016 schedule.
■ Men's tour this week
Alexander Zverev had a double celebration at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier on Sunday, defeating three-time champion Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-3 in the singles final before coming back to win the doubles crown alongside elder brother Mischa Zverev, edging Fabrice Martin and Daniel Nestor 6-4, 6-7, 10-7. Home favourite Grigor Dimitrov defeated David Goffin 7-5, 6-4 in Sofia for his second title of the season, while Victor Estrella Burgos completed a three-peat at the Ecuador Open in Quito, saving a match point in his 6-7, 7-5, 7-5 win over Paolo Lorenzi.
■ ATP rankings
Position Player Country Points
1. A Murray GBR 11,540
2. N Djokovic SRB 9,825
3. S Wawrinka SUI 5,695
4. M Raonic CAN 4,930
5. K Nishikori JPN 4,625
6. R Nadal ESP 4,295
7. M Cilic CRO 3,470
8. D Thiem AUT 3,405
9. R Federer SUI 3,260
10. G Monfils FRA 3,145
■ Women's tour this week
Defending champions Czech Republic are through to the semi-finals of the Fed Cup after a 3-2 win over Spain, thanks to Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova’s back-to-back wins in the reverse singles. Pliskova defeated Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-2, while Strycova downed Lara Arruabarrena 6-4, 7-5. The Czechs will next meet the USA, who beat Germany 3-0. In the other semi-final, Switzerland, 4-1 winners over France thanks to Timea Bacsinszky’s heroics, will meet Belarus, who stunned Netherlands 4-1 in Minsk, winning their final three rubbers.
■ WTA rankings
Position Player Country Points
1. S Williams USA 7,780
2. A Kerber GER 7,115
3. K Pliskova CZE 5,270
4. S Halep ROU 5,172
5. D Cibulkova SVK 5,070
6. A Radwanska POL 4,915
7. G Muguruza ESP 4,720
8. S Kuznetsova RUS 3,915
9. M Keys USA 3,897
10. J Konta GBR 3,705
■ PREVIEW
ATP Rotterdam Open
Place: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Venue: Ahoy Rotterdam
Duration: February 13 to February 19
Prize Money: €1,724,930 (Dh6.7m)
Surface: Hard/Indoor
Defending Champion: Martin Klizan
■ WTA Qatar Open
Place: Doha, Qatar
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex
Duration: February 13 to February 18
Prize Money: US$710,900 (Dh2.6 million)
Surface: Hard/Outdoor
Defending Champion: Carla Suarez Navarro
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