'Only One Who Attacked Rafa's Forehand': Djokovic's Great Ability Revealed
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Andrea Petkovic, one of the most respected analysts in tennis, claims that Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, told her which player is the best his nephew has faced.
Nadal's retirement at the Davis Cup Finals means reflections on his legendary career have begun. Unfortunately, the 14-time French Open lost the final match of his career against Botic van de Zandschulp.
The tennis legend's retirement ceremony occurred after Team Spain's exit to the Netherlands in the quarterfinal. It included brief tributes from various athletes, such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and a speech from Nadal.
However, some were disappointed with the ceremony. Toni admitted it did not live up to his expectations, Carlos Moya described it as shabby, and the Spanish Davis Cup captain lamented Federer and Djokovic's absence.
Djokovic had promised to attend Nadal's farewell tournament, and he has not commented on why that did not happen. Federer wrote a heartwarming message to the 38-year-old on the morning of what turned out to be his last day as a professional but he was not in the stadium either.
Toni, who coached Rafael from a very young age until 2017, has never been shy about expressing his opinions, sometimes causing controversy with how bluntly he speaks about various topics.
A notable example was when he claimed Nadal and Federer had earned a higher level of respect than Djokovic because of how they conducted themselves on the court compared to the Serbian.
Djokovic's behavior over the years has split opinion. Some believe his heated interactions with umpires and members of the crowds are a bad image for tennis, while others admire him for being authentic and point to his showing respect for opponents.
Although many in Djokovic's passionate fanbase were enraged by Toni's claim that he had earned less respect than Federer and Nadal, they will likely be more appreciative of the 63-year-old's recent reported comments about him.
Speaking on an episode of the Rennae Stubbs Podcast, former WTA player and now commentator and analyst Petkovic said Toni had outlined to her why Djokovic is the best player Nadal faced.
“It is interesting because I talked to Toni Nadal and he said Novak [is the greatest player Nadal faced] and he said the reason for that is Novak sees the ball like nobody else. He is the only one who attacked Rafa’s forehand."
“He gave an example. He said the first few times Novak tried to take Rafa’s forehand on the rise with his backhand and mistimed it a few times and was late on it. Then in the third match he had perfect timing every time. He said he had the best eyes in tennis.”
The dynamic between Nadal's left-handed forehand hit with heavy topspin and Djokovic's backhand was very different than when the Spaniard played Federer. Nadal always targeted the Swiss maestro's one-handed backhand with his forehand whenever possible.
By contrast, as Petkovic claims Toni described, Djokovic's two-handed backhand stood up to pressure from Nadal's forehand much better, meaning the Serbian targeted that side of his rival, especially on hard courts.
