Girlfriend does not make Rafael Nadal win matches, says uncle Toni
In an interview to Tennis Italiano Rafael Nadal's uncle, Toni was asked if the 32-year-old's historical relationship with his girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello helped him in tennis. The couple will get married this fall after dating for 14 years. "In tennis only tennis matters. I do not think his girlfriend made Rafa win even one match. At best she can make him happy off the court but many players switched girlfriend and things went even better. It helps to have a quiet and happy life", said Toni.
The 57-year-old also criticized the next generation: "When they came to the circuit - Federer, Coria, Nalbandian, Roddick, Ferrero, Safin - they were all between 21 and 24 years old, now all the top players are over 30 years old. What does it mean? That younger players do not train as well as before. It's a fault of the younger players who are less prepared and a few their coaches as well. And it's not about being a great player: even lower ranked players like Tommy Robredo were playing at a very high level. Now it's not like this."
Toni believes that Rafael is better and at the same time a worse player in some aspects. "If we compare him to when he was 21 or 22 years old, he improved his serve and forehand but his forehand got worse. With this shot, he reached a higher intensity in rallies. Before he was also more explosive, but it's normal and it happens to everyone. For Federer, for Rafael..."
Toni also recalled one of Rafael's worst moments in career: "In 2015 the mind did not work because he was dealing with too many injuries and he had lost confidence in his body. Once he recovered his body, his attitude changed and he was a strong player mentally again."
About Carlos Moya's influence on Nadal - the two started working together in late 2016 - Toni added: "He helped Rafa to be calmer, having the right conviction in what he was doing. And different opinions can help you sometimes. I think Carlos is important."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2TvIhoW
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