2011 Australian Open: Days 1-4

I want to watch the Australian Open! It seems like there are some amazing things going on and I am missing them all!

• It looks like Rafael Nadal is putting on freaking clinics every time he steps onto the court. His matches might not be the most exciting, but who cares?
• I almost died last night when Kei Nishikori lost the third set 6-0. He seems to have a speech impediment (irrelevant, I know), but he's fun to follow. All aboard the Japanese Singular Mindset Bandwagon!
• Apparently, Todd Woodbridge sent the following text to Rennae Stubbs:
  

  "Is Kim Clijsters pregnant? She looks grumpy and her boobs are bigger."
  
  

• Oh, Dinara Safina...
• Jelena Jankovic, your ship has sailed.
• Jamie Murray is married now? Damn, Jankovic's ships are all sailing away.

Saving the Best for Last

The perfect ending to my Thanksgiving weekend is sitting comfortably in front of the TV, watching the finals of the World Tour Final. It's currently a little less perfect than it could be because Rafael Nadal is down a set to Roger Federer and therefore I am on edge, but this is probably the first time I've seen Nadal in action since the US Open. Fuchsia and golden mustard yellow? No problem.

http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/photo?slug=2d9e2030f0a43e855de529dfcb2bdcca-getty-105209230me013_atp_world_to#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Cgetty%3A20050301%3Aten%2Cphoto%2C38c232b0d338ce591420ebfbd11d1ec9-getty-105209230bg069_atp_world_to%3A1

Okay, so I may be on edge, but this is a quality match. Third set, here we go!

...Or not. I go away for 15 minutes, and the next thing I know it's 4-1 in favor of Federer? Bah. I ran to tennis to escape the Grand Prix, and this is what I get.

09.27.2010 ノンフィクション：Documentary on Rafael Nadal

A few days ago, a Japanese documentary on Rafael Nadal was aired. Some of the information is common knowledge to his fans, but the documentary is very well made and does delve into a more personal aspect of Nadal that has rarely if ever been seen. Thanks to nadalnews.com I was able to watch the documentary online, and I thought I'd provide a translation here (the syntax might seem a bit strange because Japanese grammatical construction is very different from the English construction, and the narration was scripted to fit the purposes of a dramatic documentary). Please don't repost this somewhere without permission!

Male Narrator: The man who holds the No. 1 ranking in men's tennis, with a body like steel and an inimitable extreme playing style: Rafael Nadal, age 24. By winning the US Open this year, he achieved a Career Grand Slam. For this man who at a young age grabbed glory and honed his mental strength, technique, and physique, there was a large obstacle. This is the world's first in-depth documentary on Nadal. A Man of the Sun: Rafael Nadal. The Origins of the No. 1 Tennis Player in the World.

Female Narrator: Spain, Majorca. He was born and continues to live on this island. Ranked No. 1 in the world, Rafael Nadal created history in 2010.

(US Open)
Male Commentator: He has etched his name into a new history! Rafael Nadal!

Female Narrator: September 13, his first US Open victory. Winning all four Grand Slams, he accomplished a Career Grand Slam. His daily life is certainly amazing. Despite being a champion, from his coach come these words:

(tennis court)
Uncle Toni: If you can't do it with full effort, don't do it. This is completely different than before. It's absurd that the French Open and Wimbledon champion would have problems in training.

Rafael Nadal: My problem is that if I start to miss a little, I can't stop.

Uncle Toni: Then practice until you are completely tired out. Renew your attitude and train yourself.

Female Narrator: Does he have no limits?

(in the car)
Rafael Nadal: Training will become more and more difficult from here. Today was normal.

Female Narrator: His play surpasses imagination.

(Australian Open)
Male Commentators: Ooh... it's in! He sent it back! Nadal's super shot!

(Australian Open)
Male Commentators: He returns that. And he also gets that back. Wow! Now that is amazing!

Female Narrator: In 2005, at age 19, he entered and won the French Open for the first time. And then four successive victories. He is the second in history to achieve this, after Bjorn Borg. In 2008, in his third final, he won Wimbledon for the first time. And at the Beijing Olympics, the gold medal. At the young age of 24, he has nine Grand Slam victories. And yet his charm does not come only from his glowing career history.

(receiving the Dragonball)
Female Narrator: When we give him the Dragonball as a gift from Japan:

Rafael Nadal: I've loved Dragonball since I was a kid! I have all the volumes.

Female Narrator: A smile as if he is a young boy--that is a large part of his appeal. His nickname is "Rafa." "Rafa," because he is Rafael. A life-sized champion, he does occasionally forget his smile.

(gym)
Rafael Nadal: I compete to the edge of my abilities!

Female Narrator: For the first time ever (documentary-wise) we have covered him in depth.

Female Narrator: Summer in Majorca. The hot days that lead up to his last remaining crown, the US Open. Life with those important to him. The secret to his strength. And his heart that he exposed to us.

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: My parents divorced, and things got difficult. In my tennis life, the only moment I have been crushed by the pressure was that fourth set.

Female Narrator: The crisis that only his coach knew.

Uncle Toni: Rafa said, "I can't play in the final. I can't do it anymore."

Female Narrator: Rafael Nadal, his true self. We could grasp who he truly is because we were on the island where he was born and raised.

Rafael Nadal: I love the sun. The sun is always shining on this island.

(Majorca)
Female Narrator: Spain's Majorca Island, floating in the Mediterranean Sea. From long ago it has thrived as a center of trade and commerce, and today it is a popular tourist destination. It is sunny more than 300 days a year. It is famous for its stewed snails. In the north of the island is Manacor, population just 40,000. Despite all of his successes Nadal continues to live in this city. He is a 24-year-old who shows no interest in the flairs of big cities.

(in the car)
Rafael Nadal: I don't even think about thinking about leaving Majorca. Everyone likes the town in which they were born. Your family lives there, the friends you've known since childhood are there.

(party)
Female Narrator: He and his girlfriend were invited to a party hosted by his girlfriend's childhood friend.

Friend: Hey Rafa! I got this high-quality stuff just for you! I chose the smallest ones.

Female Narrator: His girlfriend from since he was 14, Maria Francesca. Nadal's father owns a glass factory. And the one most important to Nadal as a tennis player: Toni Nadal, his uncle by blood and coach. Nadal has been under his instruction since he was 3 years old.

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: If my uncle didn't exist, then I would not be interviewing right now as tennis player Rafael Nadal.

(Uncle Toni's home/pool)
Female Narrator: Fifteen minutes by car from Manacor is the beach town Porto Cristo. Coach Toni lives in a mansion overlooking the sea. His sons, at the height of their mischievous years. Toni was also a professional tennis player, but was only second-rate. His relationship with his nephew is surprising:

(interview setting)
Uncle Toni: Zero. I do not receive any coaching fee. It's because I want to be in a position where I can always say what I want to say.

Female Narrator: So that an equal relationship can be maintained, the coaching fee is zero. This mansion is the result of the success of the business he co-owns with Nadal's father. And so there is no holding back for the champion either.

Rafael Nadal: Even compared to most of the coaches (in the tennis world), he is quite a strict person. (If they were to enter a contract with their uncles), most players would probably be unable to endure the strict training and instead fire their uncles.

(Manacor Tennis Technical Center)
Female Narrator: In the second half of July 2010, we closely observed Nadal's training. The place: the municipal tennis courts.

Rafael Nadal: Good morning.

Female Narrator: First, stretches with his personal trainer.

Rafael Maymo: The part that hurts especially is in the back here, right?

Rafael Nadal: Please stretch out that muscle.

Female Narrator: After winning Wimbledon, he took a break for about three weeks. He had just begun to train again in preparation for the US Open, which was a month away.

Male Interviewer: How's Nadal's condition?

Rafael Maymo: Now is a period of rest, so his body is stopped.

Female Narrator: Always at his practices are Toni's children.

Rafael Nadal: Give it (my hat) back, I didn't style my hair today.

Female Narrator: His body is still lethargic. However... his hitting partners are juniors invited from Madrid. He plays with the intensity of an actual match. And yet Coach Toni says:

Uncle Toni: The task is to receive the ball in the center of the racquet. That's all.

Rafael Nadal: I know. But I can't envision the way I should hit the ball.

Uncle Toni: I don't understand what that means. You just hit. That's all. The one thing we cannot do is to not understand reality.

Uncle Toni's children: You're so sweaty! It's like you took a shower.

Female Narrator: A full three hours. And it doesn't even end after this. Without taking lunch, he heads to the center of town, where the building of his father's office is located.

(gym)
Female Narrator: There is a training room there just for Nadal. He has had a long relationship with his physical trainer (Juan Forcades).

Rafael Nadal: (We met when) I was 9, no 8 years old?

Female Narrator: His (Forcades') training methods are unique. On the treadmill, he demands a variety of steps. Even exercises such as this (ladder on the floor).

Rafael Nadal: I've really trained a lot of strange exercises.

Juan Forcades: It's in order to strengthen his body for the continuous short sprints.

Female Narrator: Nadal does not slack at all here either. He pushes himself. He has piled on his training day after day in order to battle. This strictness stems from one of Coach Toni's philosophies.

(interview setting)
Uncle Toni: If you are not used to making an effort normally, you don't have the mental strength when things get tight.

Rafael Nadal: During practice I have always given my full effort to each and every ball. So during matches, I can naturally give it my all without making any special effort.

Female Narrator: Toni does not copy anyone.

Uncle Toni: Biomechanisms, 'eat this,' 'don't eat that'... I don't believe in those things. Live life as usual, just train as usual. We do nothing special.

(Manacor Tennis Club)
Female Narrator: The court where Nadal has trained since he was little. There is nothing special about it; it is a local tennis club. It is the complete opposite of the elite training that has become the standard in professional sports. But Nadal has become stronger than anyone else. From this small island he has simply sweated his way up to the top of the world.

Female Narrator: Awaiting Nadal, who leapt onto the world stage, was the highest mountain of all: Roger Federer. He has won 16 Grand Slam titles, the most in history. A threatening rival who holds the record for the longest consecutive period at No. 1. For over four and a half years he held the world's No. 1 spot. And the one who ended that record was Nadal. The world sees these two as rivals. What does Nadal himself think of Federer? We captured his true thoughts that are rarely revealed. When during practice, Coach Toni began to analyze the recent Federer:

Uncle Toni: Federer's level has obviously declined. There is no longevity to the current Federer.

Female Narrator: Everyone is in agreement. And then...

Rafael Nadal: If you ask me, it's like this. At the Doha tournament (before the Australian Open), Federer was terrible. Watching that, I thought, 'Wow, there is no way he can win in Australia.' But after that, he picked up his game, and he ended up winning the Australian Open. It's always like this! I want to do that. But I'm not as good as Federer. Federer does this far better than I do.

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: In order to win against him, I had to improve all the time. Even though he is the ultimate athlete, he was improving further. That's a difficult thing.

(Wimbledon and French Open)
Female Narrator: Federer shines most at Wimbledon, where he has won a total of six titles. In 2007 he won it for the fifth consecutive time, the first to do so in 27 years. At that time Nadal had lost in the final two years in a row. On the grass, Federer was considered the strongest. In contrast, Nadal's stage was the French Open of the red clay. On the clay courts Nadal is strong enough to own the nickname "King of Clay."

Male Commentators: It's in!

Female Narrator: On the red clay of the French Open, he won his fourth consecutive title in 2007, the first man to do so in 27 years. Here, he defeated Federer two years in a row in the final. On the grass courts, the ball bounces most quickly, but on the clay court it is said that it bounces most slowly.

Male Commentators: That's also in. Wow that's in.

Female Narrator: Federer of the grass. Nadal of the clay. There was even an event such as this: grass on one side, clay on the other. The match both Nadal and Toni mention as the most memorable is indeed one against Federer:

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: Wimbledon 2008.

Uncle Toni: The Wimbledon final, against Federer.

Female Narrator: 2008, the Wimbledon final. Winning was a dream of Nadal's from when he was a child. On top of that he had just won the French Open, so it was a chance to win consecutive Grand Slam titles. No one had won the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back in 28 years.

Rafael Nadal: I could hardly sleep the night before. It was the most sleepless night of my life so far.

(Wimbledon)
Female Narrator: The match was a struggle that would go down in history.

Male Commentators: He (Nadal) got it. Wow he (Federer) made it! Whoa he (Nadal) got it through got it through!

Female Narrator: It was the longest Wimbledon final in history: 4 hours, 48 minutes. For the first time Nadal felt threatened.

Rafael Nadal: I think it was the only time in my tennis life that I could not deal with the pressure. The only moment I have been crushed by the pressure was that fourth set.

Female Narrator: That moment occurred in the fourth-set tiebreak. Only two more points to his first victory, and on his own serve.

Male Commentators: Oh! Is that a double fault? That's a double fault.

Female Narrator: A double fault.

Male Commentators: At a moment like this...

Female Narrator: Ultimately, Federer took the set, and (the match) moved onto the final set. He had crushed his own chances himself. However, in the middle of the fifth set the rain came, and there was a 25-minute delay.

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: There was time to think, and I could regain my concentration. I thought, 'Hope cannot be lost.'

Female Narrator: At this critical point Nadal regained hope. He had continuously fought, and he had gained the strongest heart/mentality in the world.

(Wimbledon)
Male Commentators: Whoa! Federer's shot is into the net! A new champion is born!

Female Commentator: As a result of this win Nadal overtook Federer and at long last became No. 1. However, the words that came out of his mouth were unexpected. Above all, he praised Federer's greatness. The important thing he could not forget was this:

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: I have always thought that 'tennis is just a game.' Whether I win or lose, it's not like life will end. Federer probably thinks the same way. That's why we can maintain such a good relationship.

Female Narrator: And...

Rafael Nadal: In life, there are things more important than tennis. Things like health, friends, and family are far more important than tennis.

Female Narrator: His life was not one that is ruled completely by tennis. Nadal was born in 1986. During his sister-caring youth (i.e., he cared a lot for his sister), his uncle was National Team soccer player Miguel Angel Nadal, Coach Toni's younger brother. As a result of his uncle's influence, Nadal was a soccer lover from a young age.

Rafael Nadal: I liked Romario and Zidane.

Female Narrator: He also remembered that athlete:

Rafael Maymo: There was a Japanese athlete in Majorca, right, Ookubo.

Rafael Nadal: I bet he struggled to adapt to life here.

Female Narrator: He started learning tennis at age 3 from Coach Toni, and in his early teens became an athlete who attracted a lot of attention. Even Boris Becker attended one of his practices. There was an invitation from the Spanish Tennis Association in Barcelona, and even funds were offered, but his father and Coach Toni declined. They did not approve of his living away from his family.

Uncle Toni: Family, friends, to be happy... I think those things are more important than tennis. Tennis is just a game. One must not forget that.

(tennis court)
Female Narrator: After practice, Nadal signs autographs for everyone who attended his practice. He never fails to do so.

(Porto Cristo)
Female Narrator: The Nadals spend their summers in Porto Cristo. We were shown around his house. It neighbors Coach Toni's home and stands on the edge of a cape. On this day, he had a job a little different than usual. It was a photo shoot for magazines and advertisements. The one who smiles next to his sweetheart is Nadal's mother, Ana Maria. Nadal too works with a smile, but in fact he was a little anxious.

(tennis court)
Female Narrator: July 30th, exactly one month until the US Open, the only Grand Slam he has not won. On that day Nadal surprisingly expressed his irritation.

Uncle Toni: Please close the door.

Female Narrator: The door that is usually open for observers is closed. He is dissatisfied with his serve. Originally Nadal was not that great at serving, and his speed was of average level. The US Open is played on a hard court, where serves wield great importance in a match. Strengthening the serve was a challenge. However...

Uncle Toni: Try falling on top of the ball. Relax, and without rushing, throw your whole body on top of the ball. It's the same as a drive.

(walking)
Rafael Nadal: No break.

Man in Blue Shirt: I know.

Rafael Nadal: If I say no break, no break.

Uncle Toni: There are a mountain of things to do, so we can't rest.

Rafael Nadal: I haven't been resting.

(gym)
Rafael Nadal: I'm at the limit of my abilities now! It's enough.

Female Narrator: Whatever we may say about his strength of heart, Nadal is still 24 years old. Hitting a wall, panicking, he worries. In particular this past year has been a series of struggles.

(Australian Open)
Female Narrator: It began in January 2009, the Australian Open. In the semifinals he battled through a 5-hour and 14-minute match, the longest in Australian Open history.

Male Commentators: He counterattacks!

Female Narrator: He somehow grabbed the win, but in fact he would run into a large problem. Two days later, at a practice three hours before the final. His opponent in the final was that Federer. It was then that Nadal said an unbelievable thing.

(interview setting)
Uncle Toni: Nadal began to say. "I can't do more than this." Even when I said, "You can do it, just try," he said "It's impossible, I can't."

Female Narrator: Just three hours before the match... "I can't fight anymore."

Rafael Nadal: Having fought through a semifinal match that went over 5 hours, I was exhausted. At the time I thought it was impossible to win in the final.

Female Narrator: And Toni...

Uncle Toni: It is easy to say "I can't do it anymore." But anyone can try a little bit harder from that point.

Rafael Nadal: My uncle said, "From the point where you normally think is your limit, you can muster a little more energy."

Uncle Toni: If someone pointed a gun at you and commanded, "Continue running," (regardless of how tired you are) you would be able to continue running.

Female Narrator: Time passes without mercy.

Uncle Toni: Until right before the match started, we kept repeating Obama's line. YES WE CAN.

Rafael Nadal: With my uncle's words, strength began to rise in me.

(Australian Open)
Female Narrator: The final also went five sets: 4 hours and 23 minutes.

Male Commentators: Wow! Nadal, his first Australian Open victory!

Female Narrator: However, this victory marked the beginning to the biggest trials of his life.

(French Open)
Female Narrator: Four months later, the 4th Round of the French Open. His opponent was the then-25th ranked Soderling. Nadal was the undefeated four-time defending champion. Everyone predicted that he would win. However...

Male Commentators: The volley... OUT! Nadal has been beaten! His 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros has been stopped! Wow... it's happened...

Female Narrator: Furthermore, at Wimbledon:

Rafael Nadal: I am withdrawing from Wimbledon.

Female Narrator: The truth was that from several months earlier he had been playing through pain in both knees. The tolls of the tour that traveled around the world each week had eaten into him. In July 2009, for the first time in approximately eleven months, he fell from the No. 1 position. And then, a development that would wrench his heart:

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: My parents divorced. It was a very painful event.

Female Narrator: The divorce of his parents. What he held more dear than anything--his family's bonds--were damaged.

(US Open)
Female Narrator: He would return in August, but at the US Open lost in straight sets in the semifinals. This time, he injured his abdominal muscle. Day after day he could not win.

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: The latter six months of 2009 were hard. It was very painful.

Female Narrator: He could not see the end.

(US Open)
Female Narrator: At the Australian Open in January 2010, he injured his knees again and retired.

Male Commentators: See, he retired. Aww he retired! But I think it can't be helped. He should retire.

Female Narrator: The ordeals that continued one after another and would not stop. He was forced to take two months off.

(interview setting)
Rafael Nadal: When I was home during a time I would usually be on tour, I saw a lot of things. I was with my family and friends for a long time. For the first time in my life I even traveled between the various islands in the area by boat.

Female Narrator: His ranking even fell to No. 4. What did Toni say?

Uncle Toni: I always continued to say, "You must accept life. The only thing you can do is to practice as hard as you can."

Rafael Nadal: Injuries are a part of an athlete's life, and even in times of difficult you must accept it. To practice every day, and to give my full effort on the court, is something I have continuously done to this point.

Female Narrator: And what supported him through these difficult days was this philosophy:

Rafael Nadal: When I lose, I acknowledge the loss and accept it. I have always done this. Of course, I hate losing. But you can't always win in tennis. I don't see being No. 1 as added pressure, and I don't think I'm the best player. Of course, I feel pressure every day, but that is the pressure of wanting to improve.

Female Narrator: He accepts his losses well. He reacts to his difficulties by working hard instead of trying to avoid them. Rafael Nadal. This is the reason behind his strength.

Uncle Toni: The Dalai Lama said, "There are those who cannot understand adversity, but adversity is a part of life." In the case of tennis, adversity is a part of play. No matter how you struggle, it is a part of play. It's impossible for all things to go well in life.

(French Open)
Female Narrator: June 2010--at long last, his comeback. The red clay courts where he first tasted Grand Slam victory and won four in a row.

Male Commentators: Even though everyone was worrying so much about the weather, the sun has begun to show itself. There are now blue skies over Paris.

Female Narrator: His opponent in the final was Soderling, the one who beat him in the fourth round last year. However, Nadal had become one turn, two turns better.

Male Commentators: What great fighting spirit. When you can get a ball like this--it's when you've really hit your groove. He (Soderling) plays a drop shot... Nadal sends it back! Nadal's comeback from injury... there is now a wave going through the crowd. Just one more point! It's official! Nadal has won the French Open!

Female Narrator: It was a complete victory: seven matches without losing a set. He returned to the No. 1 ranking. It was the first time he showed himself crying so much.

(Wimbledon)
Female Narrator: One month later, the Wimbledon final.

Male Commentators: Wow--what is this?!

Female Narrator: The French Open, Wimbledon--back-to-back wins.

(interview setting)
Uncle Toni: In life, anyone can achieve more than they have now. People often say, "It is impossible to do more than this," but this is not true.

Rafael Nadal: One pushes oneself to move forward, and thus struggles. One learns to enjoy and have fun while struggling. To struggle like this--if I look at it in the context of the big picture, I think it's a wonderful thing.

(US Open)
Male Commentators: A regrettable miss. He must be overwhelmed and swallowed by the pressure. And he does it again.

(6 Years Later)
(interview setting)
Uncle Toni: The problem with today is that people have no hopes and dreams. Rafa has hopes and dreams.

Male Interviewer: How do you train physically and mentally?

Rafael Nadal: Mental strength is not something you train. My mental game is good now because I have a lot of hopes and dreams.

(tennis court)
Uncle Toni: Good... yes, good. Very good.

Female Narrator: And towards his last major crown.

(US Open)
Male Commentators: Djokovic has thrown his hands out, as if to say there is nothing he can do.

Female Narrator: August 30, the tournament begins.

Male Commentators: Service ace out wide.

Female Narrator: Nadal, for the first time wielding a monstrous serve as a weapon, scrambled towards the top. His first appearance in the final. His first US Open victory. It was the first time in 41 years that someone had won three Grand Slam titles in a row (in the same year). And with it, he completed a Career Grand Slam.

(tennis court)
Female Narrator: Always seeking a better self than the one that exists now. At the end of this road, the sun is probably shining.

One Big WTF?

From Jon Wertheim's Twitter:

Nadal, federer, djokovic into atp london wtf....other spots up for grabs...
about 13 hours ago via ÜberTwitter

Well it really is, I suppose.

The Magical Uncle Toni

So apparently a French tennis magazine published an interview with Toni Nadal, and Men's Tennis Forum has a translation. I suppose I could read the original interview and practice my French a bit, but this method is far easier. :) I've bolded the parts I found particularly funny or interesting, and taken out the translator's original emphases.

Interview with Toni Nadal

Tennis Magazine (Fr), n°413, Octobre 2010

In a way – and this is not to put him down – he’s part of the scenery: Toni is essential in the landscape of world tennis. Everybody obviously knows the uncle and trainer of the world n°1 but what do we really know about the man, who is rarely seen without a cap as if it’s a protection and who has the debonair style of a tennis “professor” we’d all like to have? Not much. So, for once we’d like to listen to a trainer – and not just any trainer! – to decode with him the mechanisms that have allowed him to, stone by stone, build one of the biggest phenomena in the history of the sport. By applying a healthy discourse that has education and work as the lead motives, “uncle Toni” takes us along with him on the path to the incredible destiny of the Nadals. Through this interview, we gradually acquire a better understanding of how Rafa became Rafa….

Tennis Magazine: Toni, everybody knows you as the uncle and coach of Rafael Nadal but they know less about your own background. You’ve celebrated your 50th birthday this year (T.M.: he was born on February 17, 1960 in Manacor). Could you briefly describe this half-century?
Toni Nadal: What can I say (smiles)? Like everybody in the family, I was born in Mallorca and I still live there, in Porto Cristo I have three children, one girl and two boys aged 9, 7 and 6. I was the second-born in the family after Sebastian, father of Rafael. I have two other brothers (T.M.: one of which is Miguel Angel, former football player at FC Barcelona) and a sister, quite a bit younger. As you know, we are a very sports-minded family but I was the first to play tennis. I tried a lot of sports, including football of course, but also swimming, table tennis (ping pong) which is the sport in which I managed quite well since I was the junior champion of the Balearic Islands. From the age of 14, I started playing tennis.

T.M.: What triggered your interest in the sport?
Toni: In 1972, I was able to go to the Masters that took place in Barcelona. That year, I saw Ilie Nastase win and he became my idol. So, I started to play in the Tennis Club of Manacor, Rafa’s current club and I’ve been a member since 1974.

T.M.: Quickly, you reached a very good level, by the way…
Toni: Let’s not exaggerate. Let’s say that I had a good regional or national level. I reached group A in the 2nd Spanish category (T.M.: Still, this category grouped the 30 best Spanish players). After that, I no longer disputed a lot of tournaments because I was also studying in Barcelona. I followed law studies because that’s what my father wanted and also history because that interested me more. In a broader perspective, I wasn’t very passionate about those studies. I couldn’t see myself getting a job in it because I could quickly see that I didn’t have the potential.

T.M.: What sort of player were you?
Toni: I had the same style as José Higueras (smiles). I made very few mistakes and I was physically good. The problem was that I did not have a strong shot. I lacked aggressiveness. My backhand was correct but my forehand wasn’t very good.

T.M.: How did you earn a living before becoming Rafa’s coach?
Toni: I was interested in sports so I ended up getting a trainer’s degree and I started to teach in the club in Manacor. Before becoming a football pro, my brother Miguel was in that club as well and he was very good at it because he became the junior champion of the Balearic Islands. There were quite a few very good juniors. Our tennis school has an excellent quality, it’s one of the best on the Balearic Islands.

T.M.: And then, Rafa came…
Toni: Rafa was a very good youngster amongst others. I first started to train him in the tennis school where he started in 1990 at the age of 4. It’s only a couple of years later so it seems, in 1996 or in 1997, that I started to focus only on training Rafa. But that was not because we had decided that he would become a professional player. It was too early for that. It was a decision made because it was easier that way. Rafa started to play in a lot of tournaments and he needed somebody to accompany him. Rafa’s dad preferred me to do that and he also backed it financially.

T.M.: So, you took charge of little Rafa and perhaps, you made the most important decision of his life: to let him play with his left hand whereas he’s a natural right-hander.
Toni: No! That’s a legend… But it’s really not the truth. At the start, he played with two hands but using one hand to direct. I had the impression that he was stronger on his left side than on his right side. So, I figured that he was left-handed; it’s as simple as that. Besides, even if he ate with his right hand, he also played football with his left foot. However, at no point did I tell him: “He needs to play with his left hand because that way, he will be much stronger.” However, since I’m not completely stupid, I simply advised him to use his strongest hand. That’s it. Besides, I don’t think that it’s that much more advantageous to be left-handed. Just look at the world’s best players: there are not many of them there. No, the only thing I did advise Rafa was that at the age of 10, he needed to stop playing his forehand with two hands because no top player had a two-handed forehand and I couldn’t imagine my nephew being the first. So, this is all there is to this story. Would Rafa be as strong now if he used his right hand? That’s something we don’t know and we will never know.

T.M.: So, when you started to train only with Rafa, was your first job a huge technical task?
Toni: No, not really. If you want to work in a healthy way with somebody, the first task is to make him responsible. Even as a kid, Rafa had to be the master of his own tennis decisions. After that, my philosophy as a coach is not to tell a player: “You have to hit that ball this or that way because that’s the way that shot is played.” That’s wrong and you can see how so many players have so many different techniques. I will rather tell a player: “It doesn’t matter how you take that ball, but you need to hit it there with this speed and that sort of effect.” What I mean is that you have to look beyond technique. First of all, you need to know and understand the game. In fact, the work is mostly done on a mental decision-making way. With Rafa, I always set him short term goals. Every day, he needed to be better than the previous one. That’s more important than technique. So, I obviously worked a lot on pure technique as well because otherwise, you wouldn’t be a coach!

T.M.: Do you still use the same training methods now with Rafa?
Toni: Yes. But after all, you need to adapt your philosophy to the type of player you’re working with. If I was training Federer, I would probably do more technical work because his game depends a lot on technique and you need to maintain that. Federer is not the sort of player to do leg work (running) all day long.

T.M.: Would you love to train Federer?
Toni: No, that’s not what I wanted to say (smiles). You know, when Rafa retires, I don’t think that I could train another player. It would be difficult. I think that I’ll go back to training youngsters.

T.M.: Rafa's game is more characteristic game than others, less academic. Is that due to the fact that you gave him more freedom on a technical level?
Toni: Hard to say. Rafa has a very thorough foundation on a technical level. As time passed, he has developed his own game and indeed, it’s a lot different that the game style of others. Since we played a lot on clay, I focused on his forehand, his topspin and his consistency. For me, those were the three most important points.

T.M.: Another point that is without a doubt at least as important for you as a trainer but also as his uncle is the upbringing. Today, people applaud him specifically for his perfect upbringing.
Toni: Yes, that’s true. It’s been essential for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a lot easier to work with somebody who has an exemplary behavior. Secondly, like you said, it’s because Rafa is my nephew. I didn’t want people to have a bad image of him. Having said that, I didn’t do much work in this department. Rafa has always been an easy boy. I don’t remember him misbehaving on a court once; he has never broken a racquet in his life. Generally speaking, I think that people neglect the upbringing all too often. I remember what Ricardo Piatti, trainer of Ivan Ljubicic, once said during a colloquium in Italy: “The problem today is that if you ask a father if he’d prefer to see his son to become the Roland Garros champion rather than a well brought up kid, he’s pick the first option.” Besides, it’s easier to win Roland Garros if you have a good upbringing because that implies that you have discipline, that you can listen and that you can accept your mistakes.

T.M.: Is it true that when he was a kid, you made your nephew believe that you had magical powers?
Toni: Yes (smiles). Rafa was the little boy in the family and everybody always had so much fun with him. As a joke, I made him believe all sorts of things: that I was a star at AC Milan, that I had won the Tour de France five times with a moped (laughs)…Indeed, I also told him that I had magical powers. One day, he must have been about 7 or 8, we lacked a player in the 12-year group to compete in a team event. I took him along with us and to reassure him, I told him that he didn’t need to worry if the match went badly because I have the ability to make it rain. It was winter. So, when the match got tight at the start, it started to rain and then, Rafa turned to me and said: “It’s alright, you can make it stop now, I’m going to win!” Another time, we were watching a match of Ivan Lendl on TV. It was a replay of an older match during which Lendl retired. Rafa didn’t know that. So, at the exact moment when Lendl retired, I told him: “Alright, I’m going to make Lendl lose.” He couldn’t believe his eyes. I have a lot of examples like that.

T.M.: When you think back to those moments and you look at him now with his incredible achievements, isn’t it you who can’t believe your eyes now?
Toni: I am surprised by his career, yes. Because I look around us and I see a lot of players who are just as good as he is: Murray, Djokovic, Gasquet, for example…These are players who perhaps have an easier touch of the ball. And yet, Rafa has by far the best career. So, you ask me whether I’m surprised. Yes, I am. I’ll go even further, I don’t understand it.

T.M.: But don’t you think that Rafa has something more than the others in this regard?
Toni: Perhaps so, yes. He has an incredible game intensity and a good mentality. I think that he has a better mental control than the others.

T.M.: At the start of his career, a lot of people said: “his game is too intense, it won’t last…”
Toni: (interrupts) But a lot of people talk without understanding what they’re talking about.

T.M.: So, you don’t share this opinion?
Toni: No. You basically need to understand one thing. When he arrived on tour, he was very young and not really ready for all of it. He made his debut among the 200 best players of the world at the end of 2002 and we didn’t foresee that to happen this quickly. However, suddenly, he needed to step it up to keep up with the tour. All year long, Rafa had to play against adults whereas he was just a boy. In those circumstances, the only thing he could do on court was to run and to run everywhere. It’s true that in the beginning of his career, he did nothing but that. However, this is the image that has stuck with him often without people noticing that gradually, his game was evolving. Today, if you really look at him, he doesn’t run any more than the other players on court. So, it’s true that his forehand is not as fast as Söderling’s because he has learned to play with more topspin. However, just look at the last Roland Garros final and you will see that Rafa ran much less than Söderling. Same when you look at the semi-final in Wimbledon against Murray but in a different context. That must mean that his tennis is good, no? If Rafa had started out on tour later than he has, when he was already fully formed, people would surely not have said this about him.

T.M.: What about the future? Will you work on evolving his game some more?
Toni: (thinks) The most important thing is to make sure that you do something better than how you did it on the previous day. Because if you stop improving, you’re dead. So, rather than evolving, I would call it improvement.

T.M.: Does it make you sad that people talk more about his physique and his mental ability than about his technique and his talent?
Toni: Today, people want to talk about everything but without going deeper into the matter. You need to look at things more carefully and with more objectivity. Certain people have said that Rafa doesn’t have a very good technique. But what is that, technique? Is it hitting the ball very hard and with a beautiful movement but once out of every two hits, it lands outside the court? Is it to have a very good forehand, a very good serve but no backhand? No. For me, technique is about being able to place the ball wherever you want it to land with no matter what shot. This is what Rafa can do. So, perhaps he doesn’t have the same technique as Federer, but he does have an excellent technique. A good forehand, a good backhand that he can slice, a correct volley… He has a hand that allows him to do a lot of things.

T.M.: Basically, don’t you have the impression that Rafa’s talent is often underestimated?
Toni: I don’t know. People can think whatever they want anyway. It’s not a problem for me. I do think that they overestimate his physique. If you compare him with French players like Monfils or Tsonga, I’d say that they have a better physique, they’re more strongly built. They say that Rafa is always there to hit the ball but I think that this has more to do with his excellent anticipation skills and a very good perception of the game.

T.M.: You say that you don’t attach a lot of importance to what others say about Rafa. However, you were affected last year with how they whistled at Rafa in Roland Garros… (Note: in 2009, the year of his first (and so far only) defeat in the 1/8 final against Robin Söderling, the public firmly supported the Swede)
Toni: I’m not saying that I don’t attach a lot of importance to it, I’m saying that people are entitled to think whatever they want. I think that the Roland Garros public was very incorrect that day. In sports, it’s good to cheer for somebody’s victory but it’s not normal to wish defeat on somebody else. I’ve often repeated it to my nephew, who is a keen supporter of Real Madrid as you know, that I understand that he wants Real to win but I always told him that he should not wish defeat on Barcelona. I know that a lot of fans are like that but I think it’s a rather dumb way of going about it. Anyway, we’re not brought up like that in our family, that’s not what we’ve been taught. It’s for that reason that I was shocked by the way the Parisian public acted and even more so for three reasons: Firstly because Rafa has always been a very correct player, secondly because he was the defending Roland Garros champion and thirdly, because he’s given a lot to that public by giving many autographs and such. So, to support Söderling, yes. No problem. But to whistle at Rafa, no.

T.M.: Have you forgiven the Parisian public these days?
Toni: I don’t have to forgive them for anything. This is my opinion on what happened, that’s all. This year, things were better, much better.

T.M.: How far do you see Rafa going from this point on?
Toni: I have no idea. If he happens to win no more tournaments, we’re not going to make a projection about it. Our only goal is to play well, to improve ourselves. That’s the best way to reach serenity: to do the things as best as you can. Rafa has the opportunity to do professionally something he loves above all else. It’s up to him to do his best and that’s easier to do when you love what you’re doing. Beyond that, we’re not focused on accumulating Grand Slam tournaments because that’s not entirely up to us. You have other players to deal with. The work we put in it is the only thing that depends totally on us.

T.M.: Do you think that Rafa will be able to play until he’s 35 for instance?
Toni: No, I don’t think so. A lot of people predicted him to have a short career and this career is already going strong for 8 years now. But anyway, you have to consider that he started on tour when he was very young and I think that by the age of 27 or 28, fatigue will start to set in. We’ll see.

T.M.: How do you explain that you Nadals have such strong minds?
Toni: I think that a lot has to do with upbringing. One of the key elements that’s instilled on us is that in life, you have to face difficulties head-on. You can’t think like a child that everything is beautiful. There will always be problems and you need to take them on. In tennis, like in life, you have to accept your mistakes, realize that you have to learn a lot in order to do less and you have to put in the necessary work to get there. This is what we’ve always done with Rafa. From when he was little, I made it so that things didn’t always go smoothly. So, unlike other kids today, he has learned that things don’t always happen the easy way, not right away. We had to deal with a lot of problems together like his serve which was really not good at the start. That’s a key ingredient in sports, no? Tennis means hitting the ball back and forth over the net, there is no other signification. However, tennis becomes a passion when you measure the mental effort it requires, when you sum up all the difficulties you've encountered and when you gradually, step by step, start to rise above these obstacles. This is a good summary of Rafa’s career. Whatever happens in the future, I can assure you that he’ll leave a happy and satisfied man with all that he has accomplished.

Hah... the part about his "magical powers" is just brilliant. Beyond that, though, I have a few questions... The media always makes it seem as if it's the three Nadal brothers--Sebastian, Toni, and Miguel Angel--but now there is a fourth brother and a sister? Who are they, and what do they do? And Monfils is "more strongly built" than Nadal? Really? Tsonga, yes--he looks like Muhammad Ali, through and through--but Monfils always looks so thin and kind of fragile.

It's quite intriguing that Uncle Toni includes Gasquet in his list of players who hit the ball as well as his nephew. A while ago, Jon Wertheim claimed that in a vacuum, Gasquet was possibly just as talented as Federer, and that they were far more talented than Nadal--who in fact could not be considered talented. I disagreed with this then and I still do now, but I think it says something (frustration?) that these experts all ignore the other players ranked between the top and Gasquet when they name the best ball-strikers. I can't quite figure out whether Murray, Djokovic, and Gasquet (I do like how Federer is respectfully left out) hit the ball as well as Nadal, but the point is--and Toni does sort of reference this in the next answer--Nadal's mentality not only allows him to maintain his intensity throughout, but allows him to go for the most impressive of shots at any given time. Murray is too gloomy to do that, Djokovic can't breathe enough to do that, and, well, Gasquet...

It was kind of dissatisfying and satisfying to read Uncle Toni questioning what exactly "technique" is. While reading the interview I was actually struggling to define what "technique" is so I would have a better idea of how the theory behind Nadal's training might differ from that behind others' regimes, but I guess it turns out no one really has a definite idea after all.

"You have to learn a lot to do less" is a really interesting phrase. I guess what it means is that all of the hard work that goes in at first is repaid later, when things become easier than they otherwise would have been. Nadal's trademark work ethic and mental strength seems to reflect this thinking. Uncle Toni is more philosophical than I would have imagined.

Great interview, great man, great player. I knew I loved France.

Little League vs. ATP, Round 2

So tonight I turned on ESPN to again discover that live coverage of the Little League World Series had once again usurped professional tennis. This time I wasn't quite as offended as I was when it was the Dakotas vs. Missouri, because it was Japan vs. Mexico and I realized I had no interest in watching the match that was supposed to be on (Nadal vs. Baghdatis) because Nadal lost anyway, but really? A Little League game between two foreign countries gets live coverage, but Nadal is relegated to tape-delay delayed by half an hour?

Anyway, since there was this awkward 15-minute interval before any decent show came on and I sort of wanted to see some of Nadal (NB: I wanted to watch something as I ran, I wasn't just aimlessly channel surfing), I ended up watching the game until it ended. Mercifully, Little League games only go 6 innings. Thank god. It was sort of worth it, though, because Japan made a dramatic comeback in the last inning, and I got to see the cutest smile ever from this kid after he hit a three-run home run:

Copyright AP.

That's right, Ginga Maruoka (丸岡ぎんが--how do you write that anyway? The only thing I can think of is 「銀河鉄道の夜」, and that is one awful book I never finished.) is adorable. This picture doesn't quite do his smile justice, and I do feel bad for the Mexican kid in the back, but seriously. That face is pure joy.

I'm still against this being aired at all, though. Who cares?