Toni reveals the forehand tweaks that made Rafael Nadal the King of Clay
Perhaps the biggest reason for Rafael Nadal's stunning success on the tennis court is his blistering forehand. And nobody knows the ins and outs of that weapon better than his uncle, Toni Nadal.
And now, Uncle Toni has come up with a fascinating explanation about how Rafael Nadal's favored wing became the force of nature it is today.
Toni took Rafa under his wing when he was just 12, and after that quietly charted his nephew's way to the pinnacle of the tennis world. For 19 years, he oversaw every aspect of the 19-time Grand Slam champion's game; it was the tactical changes that Toni suggested which made Rafael Nadal such a consistent champion.
In a chat with former World No. 1 Mats Wilander on Eurosport's Players' Cut, Toni Nadal revealed the observations he had made about the southpaw's game early on in his career - and the tweaks he introduced to make it more effective.
"I observed his attitude, physically and mentally from a very young age, his skills and his coordination. And then I figured that Rafael could play with a lot of intensity, because this is how he loves the sport," Toni said.
With intensity and ferocity being such inherent qualities in Rafa, Toni realized that the teenager could be pushed into building a more potent game that would be troublesome even for older and stronger opponents. Nadal's propensity to hit the ball with a lot of spin was robbing him of the chance to make outright winners, and that is what Toni corrected when the lefty made his ATP tour debut as a 16-year-old.
"I always wanted that Rafael to be able to hit forehand winners, but he played with a lot of a spin, maybe too much sometimes. When we arrived on the ATP tour, Rafael was really young, he was 16 years old, and then he started to play with older players, with people who were stronger."
Playing high above the net with extreme spin helped Rafael Nadal: Uncle Toni
Some ingenious thinking on Toni's part led Rafa into building his current forehand, with which he is able to crush opponents at will.
The timing was the first thing that needed to be tweaked. Toni realized that by playing late and getting the ball high above the net, the pace of the ball could be maintained even after it bounced on the other side of the net.
"Rafael started to hit the ball a little late, he started to play high above the net with extreme spin...I saw that it was a good way to win. His forehand is hit high above the net, but when the ball bounces, it keeps its speed, it accelerates (contrary to other players). Rafael moves his wrist a little faster and then the ball bounces, the ball has so much pace."
The strategy reaped rich dividends for Rafael Nadal on clay, giving him a staggering 12 crowns on the terre battue of Roland Garros.
The relentless and extreme spin would force his right-handed opponents to hit their backhands at shoulder height in every rally. And on clay, it is an arduous task to keep generating depth from that height. A short ball is inevitable in such exchanges, which the indefatigable Rafa would swat away quickly for a winner.
It was thus Toni's foresight and perfect planning that helped Rafa become the King of Clay.
"On clay, he has seen that with his extreme top-spin forehands were putting opponents in a difficult position because every time he could hit the ball two or three times over the backhand of his opponents pushing them to hit it back at shoulder height. Then it was easy for him to get a short ball and hit to the other side."