Toni Nadal Encouraged By Rafa's Brisbane Start

On Court 10 of the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, the very same court he trained on during his first time at the tournament, Rafael Nadal practised on Wednesday afternoon, preparing for his second-round match against Mischa Zverev. In front of a packed crowd, the Spanish legend practised with Elias Ymer during a high-paced training session.

“The feeling is really good,” Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and coach, explained to ATPWorldTour.com in Brisbane. “Yesterday he played at a great level against [Alexandr] Dolgopolov, a good opponent… So far, things are going pretty good for us.”

After calling it a season after the Shanghai Rolex Masters in October because of pain in his left wrist, Rafael Nadal went to his hometown, Manacor, to prepare for the 2017 season. The Spaniard used the longer training block than usual to work on different aspects of his game.

“Having a longer pre-season allowed us to train in a different way,” said Toni Nadal. “Also we were lucky to train with some young talents from the [Rafa Nadal] Academy.That was really good for us because we were able to conduct different drills with them. It was really useful.

“Many times we have had to train carefully because of physical problems, something that hasn’t happened this season… So far, things are going OK but we have to wait a little bit.”

Toni Nadal hopes that injuries stay away from his nephew so he can fight for the biggest titles this season. “It’s pivotal to stay injury-free throughout all the season to be competitive,” said Toni Nadal. “Back in 2009, we had a knee injury. Rafa could have been World No. 1 because he was firmly on the top spot when the issues raised at [Roland Garros] and prevented him from playing Wimbledon.

“Right there our chances to finish the year as World No. 1 vanished. In 2012, the same. He reached the Australian Open final after having many problems against [Novak] Djokovic and he managed to close the gap again. He defeated Novak in Monte-Carlo and was playing to fight for a top spot, but physical problems hampered him again. All these things affect your work. Many times you miss tournaments and can’t play a complete season.”

The arrival of Carlos Moya to Rafael Nadal’s camp has been one of the new aspects around the current World No. 9. Moya joins Toni Nadal and Francis Roig to make the team stronger. Moya, a former World No. 1 who will join Rafa’s box during the Australian Open, will try to help the Majorcan achieve his goals.

“Rafa made the decision,” said Toni Nadal about Moya’s arrival. “I think this will work fine. When a new member arrives, he always brings something fresh, a different point of view. And I think that this will be good for Rafa.”

Toni Nadal also said he’s excited that both his nephew and Roger Federer will be returning to tour-level action this month after dealing with injuries last season.

“Their rivalry is not just a tennis rivalry, it is a clash about concepts of the game,” said Toni Nadal. “At the beginning it was a big No. 1 against a rising youngster who had a completely different game style. They played many big matches, especially the 2008 Wimbledon final, which is labelled by many as the best match ever played. Their rivalry is fantastic for the way both play and has brought many fans to our game.”