Nadal’s uncle proposes changes to make tennis | Sports News

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni has made a stunning call for sweeping reforms to make the game “less violent”.

Toni Nadal, 64, has argued that shrinking racket sizes might help gamers keep away from accidents whereas managing their demanding schedules. The outspoken former coach has additionally contended that tennis has remodeled into a spectacle centered on uncooked energy moderately than talent.

“Many will disagree, but the real problem is that the ball is getting faster and faster,” he stated in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Injuries are not caused by the number of matches played, but by the intensity and violence of the movements. There are hardly any tactical players left like [Federico] Coria or [Gaston] Gaudio.

“Nowadays, it is usually simply a competitors to see who can hit the ball the toughest. And whenever you make such speedy actions, dashing in direction of a ball at full pace, braking after which beginning again, it is easy to your physique to attain its restrict and get injured. I feel we should always strive to gradual the sport down a little.”

Nadal’s remedy is straightforward: the sport requires smaller rackets, a proposal he has championed for years. He said: “It can be simpler for amateurs and more tough for professionals, and the sport can be much less violent.

“The beauty of tennis is being able to see the movement. When [John] McEnroe or [Ilie] Nastase played, it was all there: movement, hand, tactics.

“Tennis is the one sport that begins with a ‘penalty’: in the event you serve properly, your opponent does not play… In different disciplines, the foundations have been modified to make the sport more spectacular.”

Despite his pleas for reform, Toni fears his warnings will fall on deaf ears. He stated: “The managers are solely within the best gamers. And they like all the things to keep the identical.”

Toni even pointed to soccer’s rule changes as the sport grew in popularity and success as an example of how tennis could evolve. He explained: “Soccer. After the Italia ’90 World Cup, they launched three new guidelines: the back cross to the goalkeeper, who might no longer deal with it.”

“The three factors for a win: that is how they began attacking more. And the yellow card: earlier than, they may beat Maradona all of the time, however now you could possibly no longer are available from behind. This caused a great evolution.”

Nadal, who coached Rafa to 14 Grand Slam titles until the end of 2017, never had the pleasure of celebrating an ATP Finals title, despite Rafa’s status as one of the greatest of all time.

He believes that his nephew’s lack of an ATP title is partly due to the sport’s resistance to change. He stated: “My nephew has by no means received the Finals as a result of they’ve by no means been performed on clay.

“Rafael has always played well on all surfaces, but he almost always reached the end of the season feeling very tired physically.”