Toni Nadal would be anything but averse to working with Roger Federer– and in an interview with SRF he only had words of praise for the Swiss maestro.
It was a big surprise when Felix Auger-Aliassime announced a partnership with Toni Nadal shortly before the start of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo. The uncle and long-time coach of the 20-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal had withdrawn from his nephew’s team in 2017, but four years later the 60-year-old apparently felt the urge to coach again.
While the prospects for winning this year’s French Open are probably not as solid as with his former protégé, he is looking forward to returning to Paris. Said Toni Nadal in an interview with SRF :
It’s always special and very nice for me to return here. The situation is of course different this year. I was here with Rafa for many years, this time I’m coming with Felix.
Toni Nadal
Toni Nadal impressed by Roger Federer
Canadian Auger-Aliassime will initially deal with Andreas Seppi and could meet Roger Federer in the round of 16.
When asked about a possible collaboration with 39-year-old Federer, the Spaniard said:
He would never come to me. He is so good, he doesn’t need any help. But it is clear: a dream would come true for every coach, once Roger Federer. He’s one of the best tennis players in history, if not the best. But I’m sure he doesn’t need my help.
Toni Nadal
Chasing the Grand Slam record as an incentive
The fact that Federer will play at the 2021 French Open was no surprise for Toni Nadal, in view of the lack of match practice in the past two years. But it is also clear that the World No. 8 at Wimbledon has better chances than at the Bois de Boulogne.
As with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, it is the desire for more Grand Slam titles that drives Federer – and Toni Nadal still has a lot of confidence in the Swiss:
I think there are two main reasons why they are still so good On the one hand, everyone wants to end their careers with the Grand Slam record. On top of that, they can still win practically every tournament. If that weren’t the case, they wouldn’t play anymore. I can’t imagine a Roger Federer will continue when he can no longer compete for the big titles.
Toni Nadal