The renaissance of Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has been riding the undercurrents of a new direction from his deep-rooted past. The 14-time Grand Slam champion will forge ahead into 2017 with less influence from his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal.
It was Toni who announced that he would be stepping aside from the ATP circuit by the end of 2017 to devote time and development to young players at the new Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca. He also feels marginalized, telling Il Tennis Italiano (h/t the Telegraph): “The truth is that every year I am making fewer decisions, to the point that I won’t be deciding anything any more!”
Toni’s authoritative guidance of Nadal has spanned about a quarter century and through a glorious decade (2005-14) when he became arguably the greatest fighter and winner in tennis. But since his last French Open title in 2014, the former world No. 1 has been through a series of trials ranging from injuries, less confidence and more losses.
All the while, he remained loyal to Toni, now and then asserting his confidence in their teamwork despite the growing clamor that Nadal look for new life under somebody else’s mentorship.
Then Nadal made the move in December to contact fellow Mallorcan and former Davis Cup teammate Carlos Moya. It appeared to be a safe move, a breath of fresh air that would not cause a sail to ripple let alone to make waves and rock the boat.
The result was a spectacular resurgence at the Australian Open last month when Nadal narrowly missed winning his 15th major title.
Whatever credit will be parceled out among the Nadal team, it’s clear that he was revitalized. He hit bigger and deeper and showed some of his old mettle. There was a touch of the old Rafa but something new.
And now the biggest figure in Nadal’s tennis life is making his impending departure; suddenly it feels like the right move for all concerned.
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