Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle and former coach, has had a lot to say about emerging
prodigy Carlos Alcaraz over the years. Uncle Toni, as he is affectionately known,
is a huge fan of Carlos and has even stated that he thinks Carlos is a more outstanding
player than his nephew Rafael was when he was 18 years old. He also tipped Carlos
as a successor to the famous big three. What has uncle Toni said about Carlos?
Let’s find out! TONI NADAL ON CARLOS ALCARAZ
After Carlos's recent success at the Masters 1000 tournaments, Toni selected Carlos as one of the
favorites to win the 2022 French Open, where his nephew holds an all-time record of 13 titles.
Speaking in an interview, Toni remarked, "We still have many years of a great Carlos ahead of us;
I previously stated that he was the best candidate to succeed Roger Federer,
Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, who are now 40, 35, and 34 years old, respectively.”
"Physically, he is a marvel, his desire is admirable,
and he is technically flawless," Toni added.
"If we talked about his forehand's power and speed a few months ago,
we now have to add his mind-boggling progress in the backhand, serve, and flying shots.”
He continued, "Years ago, I was concerned about the emptiness that my nephew's retirement would
leave in our sport; now, I am confident that this void will be completely filled."
Toni also believes that the 2022 Madrid Open champion is in a class of his own
among the game's young players. He explained that he didn't see any player of the game's
so-called next-gen who could overshadow Carlos. According to Toni, some players lacked mentality;
some had problems with pushing, some with a backhand, others with tournaments on clay,
and almost all with continuity and determination. "No matter how good tennis players are,
and there are few, none of them, in my opinion, possess the whole set of
attributes that Carlos possesses." He added Toni described Carlos as a complete player
in another interview, emphasizing his ability to produce power from the back of the court.
He explained that Carlos had been showcasing his potential in each tournament he entered.
Toni highlighted the speed with which Carlos managed to produce power in each of his shots
as being particularly impressive. The 61-year-old coach also revealed
that he feels Carlos's association with Juan Carlos Ferrero has been a success.
"He has a staff of consultants who will undoubtedly guide him.
When he was younger, there was already talk about Carlos, but his management decided that he should
stick with Juan Carlos. And he's continued to improve, so it's been a good result. What he
promised then is being fulfilled," Toni explained Toni also thinks Carlos is a step ahead of his
nephew's 18-year-old self in terms of technical ability. Carlos and Rafael, according to Uncle
Toni, are aesthetically distinct players but share a desire to win at any cost.
Since his arrival on the scene, Carlos has been compared to Rafael. While most of the earlier
comparisons were due to both of them being from the same country, some have recently
also claimed there are similarities between Rafael and Carlos's heavy groundstrokes.
Like Rafael, Carlos has been making waves on the tour in his late teens. When Carlos reached the
quarterfinals of the 2021 US Open, he became the youngest player in 31 years to reach that stage.
In that context, Toni was probed about the differences and similarities between Rafael
and Carlos during another interview with Marca. He answered by asserting that Carlos and his nephew
had an intrinsic passion for winning before adding that players with their levels of
concentration were hard to come across. Uncle Toni went on to say that the first time
he saw Carlos in action, he was astounded by his ability. He then made the bold claim that Carlos
is technically superior to Rafael when he was 18. Many people believed that comparing Carlos to a
great player like Rafael was going to do more harm than good and put him under more pressure.
Toni Nadal, on the other hand, saw no problem with it.
According to Toni, every top player will inevitably be compared to the game's greats.
He claimed it was totally normal to compare Carlos to Rafael. He said,
"It is reasonable to make comparisons. We live in a society where a player's
ability is measured against others, and it's natural to compare him to Rafael;
I completely understand this." Toni then discussed the technical
aspects of Carlos' game, praising the fact that he takes the ball early.
According to him, Carlos is an all-round player with a highly aggressive and modern
game that sees him play the ball extremely swiftly. He has excellent
technique and appears to be highly focused. Toni once described Carlos in early 2021 as not
only the great hope of Spanish tennis but Rafael's natural replacement. He revealed that the first
time he saw Carlos play was in a tournament played at his nephew's academy and, despite the defeat,
he had predicted at the time that Carlos would have a very bright future in tennis.
Toni also shared his views on the big three and who he feels is bigger.
TONI NADAL ON THE BIG THREE Toni once remarked in an interview
that the desire to become Grand Slam king, as well as the fact that all three legendary
champions were deadly on all surfaces, were the two key reasons why they continued to
dominate Grand Slams long into their 30s. He told SRF, "I think there are two key
reasons why they are still so good." "On one hand, everyone aspires to finish their
careers with the Grand Slam title records. On the other hand, they are capable of winning
practically any competition. You wouldn't be playing if that were no longer the case."
"I can't see Roger Federer competing if he can't compete for the major titles," Toni remarked
Toni also told SRF that coaching Federer would be "a dream," though he understands
the 40-year-old Swiss superstar was unlikely to make such a request.
"He would never come to me. He's so good that he doesn't require any assistance," Toni said. "But
one thing is certain, every coach's desire is to train Roger Federer one day. He is one of the best
tennis players in history, if not the best." Toni, who leads the Rafael Nadal Academy
in Mallorca and plays with a one-handed backhand, said he has a simple tennis dream;
that upcoming players try to emulate Federer and Rafael not so much for their styles of play
but because of their passion for the game. "I hope that someone like Roger, or someone
comparable to Roger, or someone like Rafael will emerge in the next generation because
it's excellent for the ATP Tour when they put their hearts into it," Toni concluded.
However, in a more recent interview, Toni now believes Rafael, Roger,
and Novak will find it hard to rack up more major titles in the coming years.
The trio has been touted as the top three men's tennis players of all time,
and they have dominated the Grand Slam scene as a group since the late 2000s.
Toni stated at a press conference that he believed the situation might be at an end.
"I have no idea," he answered when asked if 21 slams would be enough to win the major GOAT race.
He explained that Novak was, in theory, the favorite to win Wimbledon
but hoped Rafael would win the Roland Garros. He wasn't sure about the US Open.
" 21 may or may not be sufficient. Because of their ages and the players who come from
the next-gen, winning a Grand Slam is becoming increasingly impossible."
Toni was particularly open about his nephew's physical condition, expressing amazement at
how long Rafael has been able to play considering his congenital foot ailment
while also warning that it might impact his life at some point in the future.
He said: "The specialist who saw him in 2005 told us that it would be very difficult for him to do
sport at the highest level, but Rafael has been defying that in the best possible way because
he has been able to face up to a difficult situation.
"He looked like he was going to have a short career, but everything has turned out much better
than we expected. He will have a solution when he finishes his career, but not while he is playing.
Toni also weighed in on the GOAT discussion but said that, given his familial ties,
he wasn't the ideal person to assess it. "There are various methods for determining
who is the greatest of all time," he explained. "In any case, my opinion is invalid since Rafael
is my nephew, and I would not say so if I thought someone else was the best.
"Federer is a player who has transcended his sport." "Apart from that, he has accomplished
maximum efficiency while maintaining a high level of elegance, and you can't ask for more."
"Rafael, on the other hand, has certainly had to adjust things, but I believe
that is something that all individuals who stay at the top for a long time do.
It's impossible to stay on top unless you're continually rearranging yourself."
Do you think uncle Toni's view on Carlos is right? Comment below!