Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray reveal THIS problem in tennis - Toni Nadal
RAFAEL NADAL’s latest injury is yet another sign that there is something wrong with the way tennis is run, according to his uncle and former coach Toni.
Rafael Nadal withdrew during the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of last season with a knee injury that also saw him miss his two warm-up tournaments ahead of the Australian Open.
The Spaniard did get fit in time for the first Grand Slam of the year but was forced to quit his quarter-final match in the fifth set due to a new leg injury.
And his uncle Toni believes the injuries to his former charge as well as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, who have both recently had surgery on long-term problems, highlights the challenges faced by professional tennis.
“In the end, tennis is a very wear-and-tear sport, we've seen it in recent years and in recent times, too many players have been injured, and last year at the [ATP World Tour Finals], only five of the best players were not injured, and the sixth Rafael, he got injured there, it's too much,” Toni Nadal told Spanish broadcaster Television Espanola.
"Now we see Murray was working with and Djokovic with problems, [Gustavo] Kuerten had them too.
“They should do something, we have to find that the game is not so bad for the players, and for that there are systems and we have to try to look for it, and I think that especially the International Tennis Federation, which deals with the development, of children should be attentive to these things.”
Nadal himself had an MRI scan on the injury he suffered in Australia that revealed he had not sustained a serious injury during his defeat to Marin Cilic.
The Spaniard insisted he would not be changing his schedule for the rest of the year and Toni, no longer his coach but still a daily confidant, reckons he will be fit for a February 26 return in Mexico.
"Yes, I think so, I think that next week you can start training,” Nadal added.
"There's time for Acapulco, he has time to be ready.”