Toni Nadal Weighs in on Why He Won’t Coach Carlos Alcaraz in the Future

Carlos Alcaraz and Toni Nadal were both present in Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros ceremony.

Toni Nadal Weighs in on Why He Won’t Coach Carlos Alcaraz in the Future

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Toni Nadal (inset) (via ATP Tour)

Toni Nadal, the legendary coach of Rafael Nadal, has claimed that he won’t coach Carlos Alcaraz in the future. Alcaraz has already deployed some great coaches in his team, including full-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has been instrumental to his success.

However, Toni claims that he won’t coach Alcaraz because he doesn’t want him to surpass Rafael in the Grand Slam tally. The Spanish veteran was talking to a podcast on the N*de Project. Toni said:

Tennis-wise, I think he’s terrific. He does everything, and he does everything well. He’s the fastest, he has devastating shots, both forehand and backhand. On the serve, which is perhaps his least good, but I think he also has a good serve. He’s skillful. He fails a little sometimes, I don’t know if he’s distracted, or tactically, but he’s terrific…And if he did call me, well, I wouldn’t want him to surpass Rafael, otherwise I’d have a problem.

Toni coached Rafael from his earlier years all the way till 2016, winning 14 Grand Slam titles together. Eventually, he was replaced by Carlos Moya, who added another eight Grand Slams in the CV of Rafael.

Toni hasn’t been inactive since parting ways with Rafael in 2016. He has since coached Felix Auger-Aliassime, a promising Canadian tennis star. Currently, he serves as a director of the Rafa Nadal academy.

Jannik Sinner joins Rafael Nadal in making special Grand Slam history

Jannik Sinner’s impressive form at the 2025 French Open continued as he overpowered Alexander Bublik in their quarterfinal clash. The top-ranked player delivered a near-flawless performance to secure a straight-sets win.

Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner
Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Tennis Magazine, Giovanni Pelazzo)

The match ended with a dominant scoreline of 6-1, 7-5, 6-0, completed in under two hours. Sinner broke Bublik six times and held firm on his own serve, facing only two break points and saving both. Since his first-round match, he hasn’t lost a service game.

This latest victory marks Sinner’s 19th straight Grand Slam match win. The streak spans three major tournaments—his current campaign at Roland Garros, his 2025 Australian Open triumph, and his 2024 US Open title.

At just 23, Sinner becomes the youngest male player to win 19 consecutive Grand Slam titles since Rafael Nadal did so in 2008, underscoring his growing dominance on the biggest stages. The Spaniard won Roland Garros and Wimbledon that year.

Carlos Alcaraz sets Roland Garros semifinal with Lorenzo Musetti

Carlos Alcaraz delivered a dominant performance on Tuesday at Roland Garros, cruising past Tommy Paul to reach the semi-finals for the third year in a row. The Spaniard overwhelmed the American with a commanding 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 win.

Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Lorenzo Musetti and Carlos Alcaraz (via X/The Tennis Letter)

By the end of the second set, Alcaraz had lost only one game and appeared on track to record his most dominant win at a Grand Slam. His most one-sided victory at a major remains his 2024 win over J.J. Wolf in the first round of the French Open, where he dropped just four games.

Although he didn’t surpass that record, Alcaraz still closed out the match quickly with an aggressive and precise display on Court Philippe-Chatrier. He dictated play with powerful shots off both sides, keeping Paul under pressure with deep, topspin-heavy groundstrokes.

Paul, who had previously beaten Alcaraz in Montreal and Miami, was unable to match his opponent’s pace, especially while managing an earlier abdominal issue. Alcaraz fired 39 winners and made 22 unforced errors, improving his record against Paul to 5-2, including a win at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Also Read: Aryna Sabalenka Glad to Get Rome Revenge on Qinwen Zheng After Reaching the Semi-Final of Roland Garros