Toni Nadal has spoken out for the first time since Rafael Nadal was seen alongside a practising Iga Swiatek at his academy, clearing up rumours that the tennis legend would help coach the Pole.<\/p>\n
Just days after her shock loss at the Miami Open to compatriot Magda Linette, Swiatek travelled to Mallorca for a week of practice at the Rafa Nadal Academy alongside new coach Francisco Roig.<\/p>\n
Roig coached Nadal<\/a> for nearly 20 years and helped the Spaniard win all of his 22 Grand Slams.<\/p>\n The Pole had been searching for a replacement for former coach Wim Fissette, who had filled the role for around 18 months.<\/p>\n However, whilst the purpose of the trip was for Swiatek to gain clay-court practice and further bond with Roig, Nadal was spotted courtside during nearly every practise \u2013 sparking coaching rumours.<\/p>\n Toni Nadal, the legend\u2019s uncle and former coach, weighed in on the coaching discussion and gave a clear answer as to whether the younger Nadal will ever take up coaching.<\/p>\n \u201cSwiatek asked Rafael if he could go to the academy, some advice and a coach,\u201d revealed Toni Nadal during an interview with Mundo Deportivo<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFrancis Roig told him. And he, as someone linked to tennis for so long, likes to intervene, even if it\u2019s minimal.<\/p>\n \u201cNo [he won\u2019t coach], because his life is set up for other things. It\u2019s very difficult. A coach has to dedicate himself 100%.<\/p>\n \u201cMy nephew has quite a few responsibilities for his own affairs. He lived more than twenty years on the courts; now he has many other things that require a lot of time, apart from the fact that he is very happy with the family, with his children.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the life of a coach is not easy either, more and more changes are being experienced.<\/p>\n \u201cNowadays, it\u2019s more difficult. I experienced a different era with coaches like Lennart Bergelin and \u2018Pato\u2019 Alvarez, who were very strict and didn\u2019t allow players much say.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not saying it should be like that, but respect has to go both ways \u2013 and if anything, there should be more respect for experience.<\/p>\n \u201cThese days, it can be difficult to work with some players, and we\u2019re seeing more frequent coaching changes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen things go wrong, the coach is often blamed, rather than the player taking responsibility. I don\u2019t know any coach who tells a player to miss shots \u2013 if you fail, it\u2019s your responsibility. I said that to Felix [Auger-Aliassime] one day: don\u2019t look for excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n Former world No 1 reveals why Carlos Alcaraz lost to Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo<\/a><\/p>\n Jannik Sinner backed to \u2018win more Grand Slams\u2019 than Carlos Alcaraz by former top 20 player<\/a><\/p>\n Rafael Nadal retired from professional tennis, after more than 23 years on tour, in 2024 at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga after struggling to return to form following major hip surgery.<\/p>\n Since then, the Spaniard has kept a relatively low profile, attending a few tennis tournaments and featuring in a handful of long-form interviews.<\/p>\n In addition to Swiatek, coaching changes have been in the news for months, given Alcaraz\u2019s highly-discussed separation with Juan Carlos Ferrero \u2013 who he had worked with for seven years.<\/p>\n The Spaniard made the decision towards the end of the latest off-season, a move which surprised Toni Nadal.<\/p>\n \u201cI was surprised, although I think there were other reasons behind it, because Alcaraz finished world No 1, won two Grand Slams and had a very strong season,\u201d he analysed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a sporting issue \u2013 it was more of a personal matter for them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe player is still winning. I was asked in December whether the split would affect him, and I said not at all. That\u2019s not because Ferrero didn\u2019t do a great job, but because Alcaraz is simply that good.<\/p>\n \u201cThe foundations are already in place, and he has kept another coach he was working with last season, so I don\u2019t expect any major change.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the split, Alcaraz went on to become the youngest man to win all four Grand Slams, breaking Rafael Nadal\u2019s 2010 record.<\/p>\n Overall, the world No 2 increased his Grand Slam haul to six, two ahead of rival Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n Toni Nadal believes that Alcaraz may continue to surpass expectations and win the remaining three Grand Slams in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cHe could [complete the Calendar Grand Slam], because there are very few players capable of beating him,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cSinner is one, but at Roland Garros I think Alcaraz has the edge \u2013 maybe 60-40. At Wimbledon, he is the favourite, and at the US Open as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s possible, though not easy. I would give him around a 75% chance at Roland Garros, and about 60% at Wimbledon and the US Open.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is only 22 and look at what he has already achieved. If he stays on this path, it\u2019s certainly possible [that he betters Novak Djokovic\u2019s haul of 24 Grand Slams).<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, a lot can happen over time, but if he continues playing at this level, he has a strong chance.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is an exceptional player, and I don\u2019t currently see any younger player capable of surpassing him.\u201d<\/p>\n Alcaraz will next compete in the Madrid Masters, which takes place from April 22 \u2013 May 3.<\/p>\n The post Toni Nadal breaks silence on Rafael Nadal coaching talk and assesses Alcaraz\u2019s Calendar Slam chances<\/a> appeared first on Tennis365<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Toni Nadal has spoken out for the first time since Rafael Nadal was seen alongside a practising Iga Swiatek at his academy, clearing up rumours that the tennis legend would help coach the Pole. Just days after her shock loss at the Miami Open to compatriot Magda Linette, Swiatek travelled to Mallorca for a week […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Latest Tennis News<\/h2>\n