Toni Nadal slams tennis bodies for no concern shown toward player safety amidst the scheduling fiasco at the Australian Open
Toni Nadal expresses his frustration with the tennis governing bodies for not paying enough attention towards the players as much they do for revenue.
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Toni Nadal
Toni Nadal has been one of the most known coaches in tennis history thanks to his nephew Rafael Nadal. The Spanish coach was the first one to spot the talent of a young Rafa and coached him to greatness. He was the head coach of Rafa till 2017 winning 14 Grand Slam titles together.
Since his separation from the ‘King of Clay’ as a coach, he has been the head of Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy. He then joined Felix Auger-Aliassime‘s camp as an instructor for both the player and his coach. Toni doesn’t travel much with the Canadian but his presence has been valuable for the young Canadian.
Recently in his column for El Pais, Toni talked about the growing concerns for player safety. At the ongoing Australian Open, there have been many cases of players cramping. Matches have gone beyond 12 AM local time further making it all hectic for the winners to turn up for the next match. Toni’s words could hint that the sport has been focusing more on revenue and business than the sport in general.
“I regret that the leaders have done nothing for so long to protect tennis players in a discipline that has become too aggressive. It seems like no one wants to slow down the speed of the ball, making it difficult to demonstrate execution and tactics, as well as reducing the harshness the body is subjected to in order to maintain the required speed. Physical wear and tear is inevitable, but they shouldn’t be. No measures have been taken to reduce the intensity,” wrote Toni.
Related: SHAME: Tennis Australia seems broke, not paying ball kids at the first Grand Slam
Toni Nadal’s words resonate with the 2023 Australian Open
The whole of the tennis world is currently looking at Melbourne Park where the 2023 Australian Open is taking place. The Grand Slam as always is one of the biggest events of the Australian Summer. The heat and at times unexpected rains have made things difficult for organizers to control but they haven’t been much innocent as well.
The evening sessions are affected the most due to this as the already delayed match intervenes with the scheduling. Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis played a marathon match in the second round which ended after 4 AM local time. The players were engrossed in a battle for five hours and 45 minutes before the Briton came out on top.
Many fans and former players complained about this as Murray was seen returning to practice mere 8 hours after the match. Tennis Australia Chief Craig Tiley has still however defended his team over the scheduling. This is nothing but evidence of Toni Nadal’s words. He bluntly pointed out that the focus is now on getting maximum revenue. With Netflix cameras allowed in the locker rooms, the sport does seem to be chasing money than growing the sport.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)