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Toni Nadal analyzed his nephew Rafael Nadal’s choice to take part first in The Netflix Slam exhibition, then in the BNP Paribas Open, the first ATP Masters 1000 of the season, which is played on the Californian hard-courts of Indian Wells.
According to the Spanish coach, the only way for Nadal to arrive in the best possible conditions at the Roland Garros is to put important minutes in his legs. The Spaniard, after the injury suffered at the Brisbane International, skipped all the tournaments, before deciding to return to playing on hard-courts.
“Indian Wells? He needs to compete and he has no other choice. He hasn’t done it for too long. If you don’t compete, you can’t be ready. Obviously the setback in Brisbane was difficult to accept, because he played his games well first matches. It was a shame, but we have to accept what happened,” Uncle Toni explained to the AS.
“We’ll see how things go, but I try to be positive and I still prefer to say that he will win Roland Garros. I hope that my nephew can also be a protagonist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” added Toni Nadal.
On the possible retirement at the end of the season, Toni Nadal explained: “It depends on how he goes this year and how he feels physically.”
Rafael Nadal’s choice
The choice made by Rafael Nadal before the start of the clay season did not go unnoticed. Considering the injury suffered during the match with Jordan Thompson in Brisbane, many thought that the Spaniard would return to compete directly on the clay courts to preserve his body.
The Majorcan instead confirmed his participation in the exhibition event with Carlos Alcaraz called The Netlfix Slam and, above all, in the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells.
