Toni Nadal points out ATP’s cowardice citing Rafael Nadal’s example of failures at the ATP Finals
Nadal's uncle says ATP leaders are reluctant to change.
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Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s former coach, and uncle, believes that the ATP stakeholders’ risk aversion stance has robbed the chance to feature the premier ATP tournament, The Nitto ATP Finals on other court surfaces besides hard courts.
The 62-year-old Spaniard, who is often referred to as “Uncle Toni” by those in the tennis world, has been Rafael Nadal’s guide and coach since his formative years. Toni had a profound impact on Rafa’s career ascension to tennis superstardom and served as his full-time coach until the 2017 season.
In a free-wheeling chat at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Manacor, Mallorca, Toni Nadal, who currently serves as a mentor to young Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, reflected on a range of questions about not just his nephew, but also talked about his current role as advisor to Auger-Aliassime, and about some of the issues plaguing the ATP Tour.
In an exclusive interview with Sebastian Fest of CLAY tennis, Toni Nadal was asked to give his two cents on Rafael Nadal’s inability to win the Nitto ATP Finals, despite his overall success in the sport. His response was, “If the Masters is the closing tournament of the year, the sum of the results of the tennis year on different surfaces, it would be logical that on some occasion you would also do other surfaces, not always on the same one.”
Speaking about his nephew, Toni further went on to add, “He has always played all the Masters (ATP Finals) on the surface he doesn’t do well on. In the world of sport, the officials can tip the balance one way or the other.”
Drawing parallels with the prestigious Tour de France, Toni said, “Who wins the Tour de France? If the sports officials put it in the mountains, one type of rider will win it, and if he puts in a time trial, another type of rider will win it.”
Toni Nadal obliquely says that ATP is reluctant to change
Toni Nadal indirectly pointed fingers at the ATP, citing risk aversion as a possible excuse. Presumably referring to the ATP, Toni said, “Leaders are reluctant to change, because change always involves risk.”
It is quite evident that “Uncle” Toni was alluding to the fact that Rafa would have enjoyed considerable success at the event if at least a few editions of the ATP’s season-ending showpiece event had been held on clay courts during the Spaniard’s nearly two-decade-long tennis career.
Toni further trained his guns on the ATP machinery stating, “Djokovic is better because he has won more titles than Rafael. If Djokovic is 23? But let’s establish a number of things, we live in a tour that is always played on fast courts.”
Rafael Nadal, who has qualified for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals an astounding 17 times, including for 16 consecutive editions from 2005 to 2020, has surprisingly had a frustrating experience playing in the tournament. In 11 appearances, the Spaniard has managed only two appearances in the final. In 2010, he was runner-up to arch-rival Roger Federer, and in 2013, his quest to bag the one major trophy missing from his trophy cabinet was thwarted by another famed rival, Novak Djokovic.
With the Spaniard potentially hinting that the 2024 tennis season could be his swansong, one wonders if the Nitto ATP Finals will forever remain unconquered by the indomitable force that is Rafael Nadal.
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Arjun K
(41 Articles Published)