Why It's Time for Rafael Nadal to Add a New Coach
Rafael Nadal’s game has stagnated and become stale. Now, it’s clear that some form of change is needed to turn things around.
The notoriously stubborn Nadal is a man obsessed with ritual. He’s always done things his way, trusting in many on-court routines to provide order and guide him to victory. As these eccentricities pile up, the one constant throughout it all is the presence of his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal.
Though other people are involved in that camp, Toni is the one whose voice holds the most weight. He shaped his nephew’s game, transforming him from a spindly right-handed kid into a bull of a man who bruises opponents with ferocious lefty shots.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
That tutelage proved to be one of the most fruitful in tennis history, as Nadal captured 14 Grand Slam crowns by the age of 28.
But his performance started trending steadily downward after winning the 2014 French Open. In the past 16 months, Nadal is without a single major or Masters Series title. Only once (2015 Madrid Open) has he even reached a final at either level.
Entering this week's China Open, Nadal’s 2015 record is a mediocre (by his standards) 45-15—his worst win percentage since 2004. Down to No. 8 in the rankings, his only tournament titles this year came at small events in Buenos Aires, Stuttgart and Hamburg.
To add further perspective, he’s only 2-7 against top-10 players.
Thanks to quarterfinal losses at both the Australian Open and French Open, as well as early-round exits at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, this year is the first in over a decade that has seen him fail to win at least one Grand Slam title.
Hindered by a series of injuries in 2014, he’s stayed relatively healthy this season. His problems these days aren’t so much physical as they are mental. All the losing has chipped away at his aura of invincibility, even forcing Nadal to question his own confidence.
Every defeat sends him into a deeper psychological hole.
Try as they might, Nadal and his uncle haven’t cracked the code to getting back that old swagger. No matter how often they’ve expressed their belief in a soon-to-come rebound, it just hasn’t arrived.
So what can else can they do? Perhaps hiring another coach is the key.
ESPN's John McEnroe raised this very question over the summer, telling BBC Radio 5 (h/t For the Win):
"It might be time for some fresh blood in the Nadal camp.
...
Are we even allowed to say that? Uncle Toni’s going to be upset. I know Carlos Costa, who manages Nadal, and he's had other people. They have tried to gently persuade Uncle Toni—who has done a magnificent job from when Rafa was a little kid. Clearly at this stage it would appear that some fresh ideas are in order.
"
That’s not to say Toni Nadal should be completely replaced. Absolutely not. He’ll remain a key figure in his nephew’s career until the very end. But adding a new coach to the team could prove vital. They need only look at their top rivals to see how wise such a move can be.
At the end of 2013, Novak Djokovic brought former champion Boris Becker into the fold while also keeping his old coach, Marian Vajda.
Becker helped instill a new toughness to his pupil’s game, and to say his appointment paid off would be an understatement. In the past two years, Djokovic has won a staggering 14 titles, with four of them coming at majors. Becker's presence and wisdom are no doubt big parts of that success.
Like Djokovic, Roger Federer wasn't satisfied with where he was going after a disappointing 2013. So instead of maintaining the status quo, he started working with former champion Stefan Edberg.
Old coach Severin Luthi was kept on the team—and still plays a crucial role—but Edberg became a welcome sounding board who installed new facets to Federer's game. After two successful seasons together with three trips to Grand Slam finals, that partnership is one Federer doesn't regret.
The arrivals of Becker and Edberg have definitely propelled Djokovic and Federer, respectively, to new levels. Instead of doing the same thing over and over again, they continually work to supplement their games with new tools.
It's time for Nadal to do the same.
You can't blame Nadal for being apprehensive about making these kinds of changes. His methods worked so well for so long that he never needed to alter course. But he's facing a different reality now, one where his old ways alone just won't cut it. He should be proactive and look to adapt.
In an interview with AFP (h/t Yahoo News), Toni Nadal himself recognized that adding a coach could be on the horizon, saying, "Maybe if next year Rafael is playing not too good, then I think he can think about some changes in his game or in his team."
Coming from the omnipotent uncle, that's not a statement to be taken lightly.
Whether it involves a retired star player or not, injecting a new figure into his camp could revitalize Nadal. Another set of eyes to constructively critique his game and offer ideas: That's what another coach offers. And whomever this person is, they can work with Toni Nadal to map out a blueprint for the future.
A total rebuild of his game at this point would be foolish. However, Nadal shouldn't just wait around and hope for the best.
By opening his mind to insight from a new voice, he may find the spark necessary to return to the top.
All statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com unless otherwise noted.
Joe Kennard is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
