Lon the second day of MARCA Sports Weekend started strong with the talk between Juanma Castaño, director of Game Time of the Copey Toni Nadal, the one who was the coach of Rafael Nadal so many years. Uncle of one of the best Spanish athletes of all time, Rafa’s former coach reviewed the keys in his nephew’s training, hardness and demand in training, something that in his opinion is being lost in the education of the youth of today, how do you see your former pupil now, where would you like to see him sheath the racket (Paris or Madrid), and the comparison with Carlos Alcaraz.
Toni Nadal first explained the reason for his absence and apologized to the attendees. “My hernia activated. I was lifting bags of salt to throw them into the pool and the truth was that I thought I was young. And I noticed a crack and nothing”, commented the Spaniard, who talks about his new job: “I limit myself to telling my way of understanding the sport, the principles that I applied with Rafael. They invite me and I am delighted, I tell a little about my way of understanding the sport and what I applied with Rafael”.
Alcaraz is brave like Rafa and in his self-confidence he also reminds me of him, we have a champion for many years
Juanma jokingly tells Toni that next year MARCA will take better care of moving the bags of salt from his pool and lHe wonders how it affected the family bond. “It has some clear advantages because the involvement is higher, the commitment of both, On the other hand it has many drawbacks. When you are a family, the fear that the rope will not arrive too tight. But I think it has gone well for him and me too. With my nephew I never had the feeling that I would change coaches.”
How is your relationship with Rafa now:
“We usually see each other a lot. Obviously it has changed because I am not in his day to day. I have a normal uncle relationship.” Toni admits that he keeps his distance when Castaño asks him if he gives him any advice: “It’s not up to me, cI think it’s not playing, it’s as if Mourinho were now making a comment about Real Madrid.
Rafa was already number two and his father told him: what are you going to do with an Aston Marin in Manacor!
Rafa’s physical condition is also a matter of debate: “I think he is much better, but it is unknown. Let’s not kid ourselves, when he goes to compete he needs certain guarantees that he can win. I don’t think he will go out to play if he is not convinced that it will go well. He is excited “, comments Toni, who talks about the information that Juanma gives him: Rafa is not in the top ten for the first time… since 2006. “He is aware that to be in the top ten you have to play constantly. to happen. It’s not something that worries him too much either. The important thing is that when he goes out to play he feels convinced that he can win and he’s on the way to achieve it, knowing that things are more difficult every year”.
The reason that can explain Nadal’s competitive gene explained by his uncle Toni
Toni admits that Rafa has overcome very hard moments: “Everything changes from one day to the next. One day you win and you’re very good and the next you’re finished. He thinks why I’m going on, but then he gains momentum and things change. I’ve seen him very excited and willing to make the last effort” .
The options at Roland Garros
About Roland Garros, Toni sees him with options: “I think he can be the top favorite with Alcaraz, Jokovic and him. Alcaraz is at a very high level and is in the improvement phase. I think it will be between these three. Between the two rivals I don’t know how to tell you, neither”.
In the Negreira case, they have made us look very bad unnecessarily, let’s see if the unjustifiable can be justified
The comparison with Alcaraz
“The self-confidence, the intensity in his game. Carlos is also very brave and in this he does remember me. We are going to have a great champion for many years to come”. Juanma Castaño reviewed Toni some of Rafa’s kennels in his apprenticeship stage. I would let him get to 19 in 20 ping pong matches and then beat him. He made him pick up more balls than the others, he passed the rake. He wouldn’t give her water if she forgot to bring her own… “Today the world has changed. Everything that facilitates weakens. A large part of Rafa’s success is the ability to resist, that is trained. My wife is a teacher and the inspector of the Balearic Islands told them that they will have to justify the failure… Today we live in a world where the idea is that the child does not become demoralized, that there are not too many suspenses. I wouldn’t trust people who cheated on me one way or another. Suspense, defeat, is part of the game. Today we make a tragedy of what is not in sport, like removing the score in basketball when it is very bulky. We are not preparing the children for the difficulty.”
“Yes, he was a tough guy, I understand sport as improvement. What attracts me is improving yourself and I understood that success would come from personal development. He knew that with that he was able to improve Rafael’s character. I made things difficult for him, this helped him overcome difficulties, although it is his issue. I never liked complaining, it doesn’t help you improve. This is what there is, with this we have to play”, adds Toni, who remembers the anecdote with Rafa… already as number 2! and that he speaks of his family values: “He wanted an Aston Marin that he loved. His father told him: What are you going to do with an Aston Martin in Manacor! Take the KIA.”
I don’t know how much Rafa has left, I would like to see him say goodbye in Paris or Madrid
Rafa’s goodbye, how do you imagine it:
“In Madrid or at Roland Garros. The time will come and he will decide. When you lift a trophy you convince yourself that you still have something to give. It is difficult to retire winning. I think Sampras did it. I have not talked about Rafa about that. I don’t know how much is left. If he fully recovers, let him keep playing and we’ll see.”
Barça and the Negreira case
“We are going to win the League, and I’m glad. They have made us look very bad unnecessarily. I don’t know if he had referee help, but he didn’t need it. It is as if you pay the judge, the Negreira case. It does not seem very coherent to pay the vice president of the referees for some reports. I know about it from what I’ve read in the press. We are going to wait for what the authorities say, hopefully what seems unjustifiable can be justified, but the truth is that it does not look very good.”
