Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s coach and uncle, spoke with the Tennis Podcast on Friday and confessed that, while the player’s form is constantly improving, his confidence still needs to catch up.
When host David Law asked him what the distinction was between today’s Nadal and the Nadal of a few years ago who was sweeping three major titles, Uncle Toni, as many call him, said that it’s his “mentality.”
“The difference between today’s Rafa and what happened some years ago is that his mentality is not very constant,” he said.
‘Mentality’ issues
However, this isn’t a new issue at all. “This is our problem—the problem that we have had this year,” Uncle Toni said.
Moreover, the coach argues that there are some positive aspects to Nadal’s performance, notably his capability to perform to his full capacity on grass.
“I think today we can play better on grass than two years ago or three years ago because after 2011 he had many problems in his knees and it was very difficult for him to play on grass because he cannot get down with his legs,” he said. “But now, he can.”
The Spanish champion has won the Australian Open and Roland Garros, preserving his status as a legend and putting a stop to the retirement rumors. The former world number one could not complete the ‘Calendar Grand Slam,’ having to withdraw from Wimbledon before the semi-finals.
According to Uncle Toni, Nadal’s first-round defeat against Alexandr Dolgopolov at Queen’s was a turning point since he had a break in the third set and couldn’t sustain his lead while performing efficiently. This is a pattern that the Spaniard has failed to break this season.
“The confidence is coming always with victories, nothing else,” he said. “You can play well, like now I think Rafael is playing well enough, but if you do not have enough confidence, in the important moments the ball goes out. It’s what happened here against Dolgopolov.”
While he thinks Nadal is in excellent form to triumph at Wimbledon, Uncle Toni argues that his charge’s final success or failure depends on “self-belief.” According to him, if Nadal can rediscover his big-point confidence, he’ll be in good enough condition to take on the title.
“The confidence in tennis and more in grass is very important,” Uncle Toni stressed. “Because all changes in one moment, and when you have confidence you hit the ball and the ball goes on the line and when you don’t have confidence you hit the ball and the ball goes outside.”
Meanwhile, former Pete Sampras and Roger Federer coach Paul Annacone spoke with the Tennis Channel about Nadal’s confidence. Annacone said that “Rafael Nadal is so confident.”
“Looking at those numbers: 25 times a titlist on hardcourts,” Annacone said. “It gets tiring to talk to people because they say – ‘he is one-dimensional, he was just so dominant on the clay.’ This guy can play on everything.”
Balancing tennis, education
In addition to competing in tournaments, Nadal had to balance his academics. The 22-time Grand Slam winner explained how he was able to accomplish all of these things at the same time. In his book, ‘Rafa: My Story,’ the former World No. 1 describes how he balanced his education and tennis.
He also expressed his concerns in the book, saying that “the studies were going to kill” his tennis career. “They killed my chances of playing at the Wimbledon Junior Tournament and the one at Roland Garros, too,” he added.