Player Coaches

Toni Nadal is brother of former Spain international footballer and Barcelona star Miguel Nadal. Known as "Uncle Toni" he has become one of the most respected coaches in the game and known for his revolutionary coaching techniques. After introducing his nephew Rafael Nadal to tennis at the age of three, he decided to coach Rafa at home and attend regular school rather than train at the Spanish tennis federation. At the age of eight, Nadal won the U-12 Title of Majorca, but it wasn't until Nadal turned twelve that he decided to pursue tennis as a career. In 2003, Nadal became the youngest player to win two rounds at Wimbledon since Boris Becker. While being naturally right-handed, Toni believed that Rafa should switch and learn to become left-handed to give himself a competitive advantage in a move that would also improve his backhand. Rafa's game relies largely on top spin and power and this is an aspect Toni has helped to develop. Rafa overtook Roger Federer as world number one on August 18th 2008 and has won four consecutive French Open titles and his first Wimbledon title in 2008. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Rafa defeated Fernando Gonzalez to take Gold medal to mark a truly remarkable year. Toni has been a big influence on Rafa, who is now being heralded as the best clay court player the game has ever seen. Part of Toni's coaching techniques is mental conditioning, ensuring Rafa has the right mindset going into matches.