Toni Nadal’s thoughts on tennis greats have often stirred up a lot of debates over the years. Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach has often showered praise on Roger Federer and his impact on the sport and him as well. But it seems that Uncle Toni has acknowledged that Novak Djokovic was the most formidable opponent for his nephew.
Andrea Petkovic, a former player who is now a pundit, revealed details of her chat with Toni in an interview with Tennis365, on the Djokovic-Nadal rivalry. According to Petkovic, Toni lauded the fact that the 24-time Grand Slam champion had an incredible eyesight and anticipation for the ball, which is why he could tackle Nadal’s powerful shots, especially his forehand.
“I talked to Toni Nadal and he said Djokovic [is the greatest player Nadal faced] and he said the reason for that is Djokovic sees the ball like nobody else,” Petkovic began.
Petkovic claimed that Djokovic was the first one to master the art of attacking Nadal’s forehand with his backhand. What was remarkable was that the Serb could do that after just three matches of their rivalry. Eventually, the backhand played a big role in Djokovic’s 31-29 head-to-head advantage over Nadal.
“He is the only one who attacked Rafa’s forehand. He gave an example. He said the first few times Djokovic tried to take Nadal’s forehand on the rise with his backhand and mistimed it a few times and was late on it. Then in the third match he had perfect timing every time. He said he had the best eyes in tennis,” Petkovic concluded.
If Toni’s statements are true, they would come as a big surprise. It’s not how he used to speak about Djokovic in the recent past.
When Toni Nadal gave a backhanded compliment to Djokovic
A few months ago, Toni Nadal indulged in the GOAT debate. The 63-year-old tennis coach admitted that Djokovic was the best player in history because of the 24 Grand Slams on his resume. However, his statement had more to it than it seemed.
Toni claimed that Nadal could’ve been the best if it wasn’t for the barrage of injuries that he suffered across his career. He also brought in Federer in that discussion.
“When people ask me who is the best in history, I say, ‘The best in history is Djokovic because of everything he accomplished, and the one who played the best tennis is Federer’. But I think my nephew would be the best in history if he didn’t have so many injuries,” Toni said.
From the way that statement sounded, what Toni meant was that Federer’s style and talent were the best ever. However, in terms of achievements and numbers, Djokovic takes the cake.
