Rafael Nadal remains a talking point in the tennis world days after his retirement. Paul Annacone joined the discussion as he was asked about Nadal’s legacy and his matchup with the great Roger Federer on the Tennis Channel. Annacone worked as Federer’s coach from 2010 to 2013 after successful stints with the likes of Pete Sampras and Tim Henman.
Interestingly, Annacone coached Federer in 12 of his encounters against Nadal in that period, and the Spaniard won nine of them. Although Federer did win the Wimbledon 2012 title to end a 2-year Grand Slam drought, Nadal had cracked the code to defeat the Swiss legend more often by then.
Perhaps this made Annacone claim that Nadal is the ‘best competitor’ he has ever seen in the sport. He admitted that he was fortunate enough to not have the burden on him to defeat Nadal week after week, like Federer.
The veteran American coach said that in his coaching career, it was the biggest challenge for him to strategize with Federer on how to get the better of the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
“The best competitor of all-time in any sport I think. And you have to figure out how to conquer that, there’s no bigger challenge.”@Paul_Annacone discusses what it was like to coach against @RafaelNadal on the Inside-In Podcast.
Listen ➡️ https://t.co/2ul6FoNFDU pic.twitter.com/rbAkQ9VCrS
— TENNIS (@Tennis) November 21, 2024
Now, while Annacone is full of praise for Nadal, claiming that there was no player equal in being competitive, especially against Federer, it comes as a huge surprise. Around the same time, Djokovic reached his peak levels and had a never-seen-before 2011 season in which he won 3 Grand Slams and had a 42-match winning streak, which was coincidentally ended by Federer in the French Open semi-final that year.
During that period, Djokovic and Federer played across 17 matches in all events, and the Serb led 9-8. It made their rivalry legendary. However, Annacone’s words seem to be dictated by the fact that Federer struggled to defeat Nadal more than Djokovic.
Did Annacone indirectly claim Federer took advantage of Nadal’s ‘humility’?
The answer to that question is a possible yes. If Annacone has one complaint against Nadal, it is the fact that he was very humble. While this is an asset to have for any person and professional sportsman, according to Federer’s ex-coach, this was a downside for the Spaniard too.
Annacone has an interesting theory behind his claim. He observed that when Nadal was humble, it came across on the court as if he was vulnerable since he did not strike the ball with as much power and the body language was less aggressive.
Annacone highlighted that point with the example of the recent Davis Cup 2024 Finals clash which Nadal lost to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands and that happens to be the Spaniard’s last-ever professional match.
This is also a fascinating observation since Annacone could have potentially meant that Federer took time to find that chink in the armor in Nadal and perhaps used it to his favor to take advantage, winning six out of their last seven matches.
Many sportspersons show their humility, which is genuine, and Nadal is one of them. Nadal himself has often claimed that this great quality in him comes from the values his parents taught him and the way his uncle Toni trained him since childhood. As a person and player, Nadal has often combated self-doubt, but he made that work in his favor by somehow staying grounded.
But Federer and Djokovic are two players who expressed their self-confidence and believed that they were invincible against their opponents, not giving their opponents a hint of their vulnerability within.
Nevertheless, Nadal is one of a kind, and gaining the respect of a coach who trained his biggest rival is in itself a massive tribute. Annacone would look to use his experiences to train his current mentee and American star, Taylor Fritz, to become the World No.1 and a Grand Slam champion in the future.
