Eye of the Coach #96: Rafael Nadal will retire with no regrets

Tennis Majors

Patrick Mouratoglou has said Rafael Nadal's retirement is a surprise, but he believes that the great Spaniard will hang up his racquet with no regrets.  In the latest episode of Eye of the Coach, the Frenchman explains that he believed Nadal would push himself until next year's Roland-Garros, a tournament the Spaniard dominated for the past two decades.  Mouratoglou goes on to explain that it was clear, however, that at this year's French Open Nadal was struggling greatly with his movement.  "I think Rafa's legacy is very much about his values - the fact that he was one of the biggest fighters of all time, an incredible competitor."

Transcript

00:00I heard him say that he has no regrets because he gave everything.

00:03I think if someone can say that, more than anyone else, it's him.

00:09I think the retirement of Rafa is a surprise.

00:11We expected it for next year.

00:13I would really expect him to push until Rangarros and then retire.

00:16He's the greatest of all times in Rangarros, on clay in general,

00:20but in Rangarros especially, which is a Grand Slam.

00:22For the last two years, he's unable to even practice the way he wants.

00:26When you're not able to practice,

00:28you cannot perform at the highest level.

00:30And I think for someone like him to be playing 30% or 40% of what he can do

00:34and losing too many times, too often.

00:36Last Rangarros, he was maybe 50, 60%.

00:39He was playing well, but he could not move at all the way he used to.

00:43And it affects his whole game.

00:45When he reaches the ball, a lot of times he's not in a good position.

00:48He's missing much more than usual.

00:50He's not as consistent as he used to be.

00:52And we know that tennis is so much about movement and movement is key,

00:55not only to bring balls back, but to be consistent.

00:58You know, it's a base that players need.

01:00Probably even him more than anyone else,

01:02because he was probably one of the most consistent players of all times.

01:05Roughest forehand, yes.

01:06Probably the best ever.

01:12First is lefty, which gives him even an extra edge.

01:15But I think the quality of his ball,

01:17the difficulty for the opponent to control his ball,

01:20the explosiveness of his topspin,

01:23the fact that he was able to play extremely high

01:25with an extremely high bounce,

01:27his accuracy, his ability to change rhythm,

01:30how fast he was to turn around his backhand

01:32and hit this inside-out forehand with a short zone,

01:35but also down the line.

01:36I used to say that when the opponent was touching his forehand once,

01:40then he would start running and never stop.

01:46I think the only way to pretend having one day a better forehand than Rafa

01:51would be probably to be able to accelerate fast balls

01:55as well as he was accelerating lower balls.

01:58But even this, he improved so much throughout his career.

02:01At the start of his career,

02:02when the ball was coming very fast on his forehand,

02:04he was slowing down the pace.

02:06At the end of his career, he was able to re-accelerate.

02:08So, I mean, even the flows,

02:11the little, little flows that he had at the start of his career,

02:14as he's an incredible worker,

02:15he's been able to close the gap.

02:17And at the end of his career, even on those balls, be very dangerous.

02:20And he was dangerous also at every height.

02:22He was under the knee.

02:24That's why I always said that Roger should never slice his backhand against him

02:27because he had absolutely zero problem on slice.

02:29More than that, he was able to put the opponent in trouble every time.

02:32So under the knee, at hip level,

02:35between hip and shoulder, but also over the shoulder,

02:37he was able to hit flat incredibly fast.

02:39So there was no situation in which Rafa's forehand was not doing incredible damage.

02:44I think Rafa's legacy is very much about the values.

02:48The fact that he was one of the biggest fighters of all times,

02:52an incredible competitor and someone who gave 100%

02:57in every single situation of his professional life.

03:00And that's very rare, not only in the matches,

03:02but also at practice for all those who have seen him practice.

03:05The intensity that he was giving on every ball at every practice

03:08is something that is unusual.

03:11Also, his courage is not someone who was complaining.

03:14He's very, very, very close to the ultimate values of a professional athlete.

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