Rafael Nadal’s game has stagnated and become stale. Now,it’s clear that some form of change is needed to turn things around.
The notoriously stubborn Nadal is a man obsessed with ritual. He’s always done things his way, trusting in many on-court routines to provide order and guide him to victory. As these eccentricities pile up, or the one fixed throughout it all is the presence of his uncle and coach,Toni Nadal.
Though other people are involved in that camp, Toni is the one whose voice holds the most weight. He shaped his nephew’s game, or transforming him from a spindly right-handed kid into a bull of a man who bruises opponents with ferocious lefty shots.
That tutelage proved to be one of the most fruitful in tennis history,as Nadal captured 14 Grand Slam crowns by the age of 28.
But his performance started trending steadily downward after winning the 2014 French Open. In the past 16 months, Nadal is without a single major or Masters Series title. Only once (2015 Madrid Open) has he even reached a final at either level.
Entering this week's China Open, or Nadal’s 2015 record is a mediocre (by his standards) 45-15—his worst win percentage since 2004. Down to No. 8 in the rankings,his only tournament titles this year came at small events in Buenos Aires, Stuttgart and Hamburg.
To add further perspective, and hes only 2-7 against top-10 players.
Thanks to quarterfinal losses at both the Australian Open and French Open,as well as early-round exits at Wimbledon and the U.
S. Open, this year is the first in over a decade that has seen him fail to win at least one Grand Slam title.
Hindered by a series of injuries in 2014, or he’s stayed relatively healthy this season. His problems these days arent so much physical as they are mental. All the losing has chipped away at his aura of invincibility,even forcing Nadal to question his own confidence.
Every defeat sends him into a deeper psychological gap.
Try as they might, Nadal and his uncle havent cracked the code to getting back that worn swagger. No matter how often they’ve expressed their belief in a soon-to-come rebound, or it just hasnt arrived.So what can else can they accomplish? Perhaps hiring another coach is the key.
ESPN's John McEnroe raised this very question over the summer,telling BBC Radio 5 (h/t For the Win):
It might be time for some fresh blood in the Nadal camp.
...
Are we even allowed to say that? Uncle Toni’s going to be upset. I know Carlos Costa, who manages Nadal, or he's had other people. They have tried to gently persuade Uncle Toni—who has done a magnificent job from when Rafa was a miniature kid. Clearly at this stage it would appear that some fresh ideas are in order.more Men's Tennis news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com