MADRID — While Roger Federer has sporadically sought the bullpen-by-committee advice of an array of coaches over the years, truth is, the Swiss sensation has won the bulk of his 13 Slam titles as a solo act. Newly minted No. 1 Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, has long relied on the behind-the-scenes guidance of his uncle/coach Toni Nadal, who Rafa has worked with since the age of four. It’s Toni who taught Rafael to play left-handed (even though he’s a natural righty) and it’s Toni who has quietly molded his nephew into a multi-surface wonder, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the days of Bjorn Borg.
IT sat down with the refreshingly unapologetic Toni Nadal during the U.S. vs. Spain Davis Cup semi in Madrid, where the tell-it-like-it-is Mallorcan weighed in on everything from his distrust of outgoing ATP chief Etienne de Villiers to his disdain for American hard courts.
INSIDE TENNIS: Why is the Davis Cup so important to Rafa?
TONI NADAL: It’s special for him to play here in Spain, with 20,000 people watching his matches. Always when Rafael plays for Spain, it’s important. Like when Roddick plays for the United States — this is what makes the Davis Cup special.
IT: What did it mean for him to surpass Federer and become No. 1?
TN: For us, it’s very important. He’s played very well for the last three and a half years, earning some big ranking points. But he has the bad luck of playing with the best player ever, at the same time as Roger. Rafael had 5,000 points in 2005, the same in 2006. Last year, the same, 5,500 points. But he was not No. 1. This is bad for him. Until six months ago, I thought Rafael might be the best No. 2 ever who was never No. 1. We were happy to be No. 2, but it’s better to be No. 1.
IT: Because of his success, Rafa plays a lot of matches. And the more taxing your schedule is, the more you risk exhaustion, injuries. How do you keep that in check?
TN: I’ve heard this question for three years. I’ve heard from many players, “Oh, it’s dangerous for Rafael to play so much.” But he’s still here. He keeps playing at the same level. Maybe in two years, he won’t play so much. It’s very difficult to be on top now for much time. Rafael has now been playing at a very high level for four years. It’s a lot of tennis.
IT: Rafael has put up some great hard-court results, but hasn’t been able to put it all together at the U.S. Open. What will it take for him to win there?
TN: The U.S. Open is very important for Rafael, no? But the problem this year was Indian Wells and Miami. The ATP chairman [Etienne de Villiers] put them one week apart because of the [NCAA] basketball tournament. For the Americans, all the things are okay, always. I’m totally disappointed with this. Indian Wells, then Miami one week later? It’s unbelievable. Then the Olympic Games? When we were in Toronto, I said to Rafael, “You must choose the Olympic Games or Cincinnati. You can’t play both. You won’t be any good at the U.S. Open. It’s too much.” That’s why we didn’t play in Cincinnati. It’s not good for him to play here [in Madrid], but it’s the Davis Cup semis. It wasn’t good for him to play the Olympics, but it’s the Olympics. Where does it stop?
IT: Are you happy to see de Villiers’ tenure coming to an end?
TN: Yes. I’m never happy when one man makes all the decisions himself. He never talked to the other guys. I am appreciative of the European tournaments. In America, it’s easy to say to Hamburg, “Get out.” Before, Monte Carlo and Hamburg had top tennis. Now — boom — it’s gone. This is not good. One of the most famous cities in the world is Monte Carlo. Maybe it’s better to play there and not Cincinnati. Why do we play two weeks in Indian Wells? Why two weeks in Miami? When I talked to him [de Villiers], he said, “It’s more money for the players.” This is a lie. You think I’m stupid? In one month, he played two tournaments. In two weeks, he can play in two places and make more money. For players like David Ferrer — maybe they play only two matches in one month. You have [to pay] a coach, a physio, for another room, a flight — what can you do? Plus, there’s a problem with injuries. It’s no good to play on the hard courts. I want him to play on clay because Rafael is maybe the best, no? It’s not dangerous. Or on grass. You do what you want in this life, but you must think about the players’ health — not only at the moment, but when they are older. [Tendinitis later kept Nadal from playing the Masters Cup in Shanghai and the Davis Cup final in Argentina.]
IT: De Villiers put a lot of changes on the table — round robin, the doubles…
TN: The round robin wasn’t a bad decision. If I go to a tournament and pay money to see Andy Roddick and in the first round he loses, it’s not good. In golf, you pay to see Tiger Woods because you know you’ll see him for four days. You see him on TV. With tennis, it’s difficult.
IT: You’ve been outspoken about changing the ranking system.
TN: Rankings must not be based on one year. It’s not good for the tournaments. Like [Mario] Ancic. He had injuries and his ranking went way down [from No. 9 to No. 135]. Maybe it can be based on the last two years. The best players have contracts with Nike, adidas. When you lose your ranking, you lose money. I can’t have water up to my neck at every tournament. You must make changes to protect the rankings. People want to see the best players. When there are six players consistently at the top of the game, it’s okay. But if it’s Federer one day, [Juan Ignacio] Chela another — it’s no good. The fans want to see the best, always.
