Rafael Nadal has played tennis on the professional circuit for over two decades, so when he takes a bird's eye view of proceedings, he can instantly spot drawbacks.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion and a winner of other significant accomplishments in his career, is often considered part of the golden standard of men's tennis alongside his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
With Federer the first to exit the stage and Nadal potentially joining him on that parade at the end of 2024 (even though his long-term future in the game remains uncertain for now), men's tennis faces a gargantuan task to fill that void.
The ATP is already looking to explore more avenues by expanding tennis' reach to untapped markets like Saudi Arabia. The men's governing body has also announced significant reforms to the Next Gen brand to improve young players' pathway of launching to the top.
The emergence of players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune in the past two years has validated the ATP's efforts in promoting its product and helped provide the platform to unearth the next tennis gems.
While the ATP's work and commitment have been commendable, Nadal is not fond of the current set of tennis players on tour because of their predictable playing style. He believes modern tennis players lack tactical clarity in favor of a hard-hitting style.
In an interview with Spanish outlet El Pais, Nadal made this stunning claim and was disappointed that it has become a paradigm that has been picked up by other players, who also employ a similar style. He believes the evolution of tennis is about "hitting harder" and "without thinking."
"It has evolved into a tennis of hitting harder, of hitting without thinking. It does not require point preparation to find the winning shot. Most of them play similarly. I don’t like it. I like the tactics."
0 Comments