Toni Nadal: “Spain is going to be at a very high level in the coming years in world tennis”
The one who was coach of Rafa Nadal For much of his career, his uncle Toni Nadal, has shown his conviction that Spanish tennis has a future, not only because of the name of the main banner, Carlos Alcaraz, but because of the large list of young players who have emerged in recent months.
“We have one of the best, if not the best, players on the professional circuit along with Jannik Sinner and Alexander-Zverevbut Spain a very high level, not only because Carlos Alcarazbut with Rafa Jódar, Martín Landaluce or Daniel Méridabecause they are all very young so for many years we are going to be at a very high level,” he predicted this Wednesday in statements to the media in León.
Tony Nadal participates this Tuesday in the second day of the 10th International Sports Forum (FID) City of León ABANCA, together with the Olympic water polo medalist Paula Leitonwhere, as he told the media, he will focus on “commitment” as a way to achieve improvement “by applying the demands, not because I believe that the sport is special, but because I have always sought personal improvement in the players I trained.”
Already separated from sports management by his own decision, he revealed that he had an offer at the Nadal Academy from the last winner of Roland Garros and the United States Open, Alexander Zverevwhen he was already world number 3, ruling out this possibility and making the German player see that he was not the ideal coach.
“I told him that it was not a matter of changing coaches, but that he had to try to change his character and if he did so he would have the success that corresponds to him. I also told him not to make a fool of his father who was his coach and that he could win a Grand Slam sooner with someone else than with his father, when in addition I was not his person because I am no longer in that world, I have become older and I am not willing to be behind a player all over the world,” he reflected.
Nadal He does not believe that it is more difficult to make the leap into the world of tennis from a small city or town, and as an example he referred to his own nephew, originally from Manacor.
As for the legend that seems to haunt him of extreme demands, he acknowledged having been “a demanding coach”, from which he does not hide.
That’s how it was with his own Rafa Nadal instilling in him “the maximum commitment” as in a professional from any area of life, from his commitment to “effort, because there is no value in passing a ball from the net, there is value in self-improvement and the cost of achieving things.”
