I am surprised by Rafael Nadal's career, says uncle Toni
In an interview, Rafael Nadal's chances and former coach Toni spoke about the ability of the Spanish player to reach the tennis elite. Toni saw in Rafa some huge talent since the beginning, but having success was not granted. "I am surprised by his career, yes", said the 58-year-old. "Because I look around us and I see a lot of players who are just as good as he is: Murray, Djokovic, Gasquet, for example…These are players who perhaps have an easier touch of the ball. And yet, Rafa has by far the best career. So, you ask me whether I’m surprised. Yes, I am. I’ll go even further, I don’t understand it. He has an incredible game intensity and a good mentality. I think that he has better mental control than the others."
On people being surprised by Nadal's longevity, Toni added: "You basically need to understand one thing. When he arrived on tour, he was very young and not really ready for all of it. He made his debut among the 200 best players of the world at the end of 2002 and we didn’t foresee that to happen this quickly. However, suddenly, he needed to step it up to keep up with the tour. All year long, Rafa had to play against adults whereas he was just a boy. In those circumstances, the only thing he could do on court was to run and to run everywhere. It’s true that at the beginning of his career, he did nothing but that. However, this is the image that has stuck with him often without people noticing that gradually, his game was evolving. Today, if you really look at him, he doesn’t run any more than the other players on court."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2LDmRmi
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