"I have to keep working more.". A visibly dejected — nay shocked — Rafael Nadal said this again and again after his loss to Dustin Brown on Thursday.
Never before had Nadal appeared so hapless after a loss, taking long pauses before uttering words, his voice barely audible. Clearly, the loss has affected him. Clearly, Nadal knows he needs to reinvent himself as a player, and as a fighter. Clearly, he needs a new coach.
Nadal may not necessarily agree with this suggestion, though.
He seems to share a complex relationship with Toni Nadal — his coach, uncle and mentor — ever since he joined a group of young kids coached by his chacha at a tennis club in their hometown of Manacor as a football-loving kid. Toni was always a tough taskmaster, one who would demand more from Nadal than any of his other wards. As Nadal put it in his autobiography, he wouldn't have put up with his uncle if he hadn't loved the game.
Thus, while Toni made Nadal the player he is, imparting the virtue of having his feet on the ground and the importance of endurance, there was always a sense of palpable tension in their relationship. Toni never let Nadal believe he was a champion even when he was, he never let him off the hook, never let him play with complete freedom. "He (Toni) deserves blame for me being more insecure than I ought to be," Nadal said in his book.
That insecurity in Nadal's game is more visible now than ever before. If there was one ability in the Spaniard that put him miles ahead of his competitors, it was his unrelenting mind. That very mind seems to be infected with insecurity.
Toni also built a certain type of game for Nadal, and never saw the need to alter it. Toni was always big on having a set routine, a set regimen, and it rubbed off on Nadal.
Dr Vece Paes, Leander's father, shares a tale. "In 1996, I stopped accompanying Leander on his tours. I wanted to give him a chance to develop by himself. It's a very important aspect in an individual sport. You need to make the player aware of the tactical side of the game so that he doesn't need a coach once he's on the court. It becomes destructive if you make the player dependent on you," he added.
Maybe, it's time for someone to shake Nadal up, to make him take a detour from his routine, to throw the insecurity out of his mind. Nadal doesn't need to look beyond his 'Big Four' colleagues for proof that it's never too late for fresh ideas.
In December 2013, at 32, Roger Federer got Stefan Edberg on board after a disappointing season. Federer described Edberg as "more of an inspiration" than anything else, someone he could talk to. The Swede also instilled a more attacking approach in his new student, and it showed in Federer's vastly improved 2014 season.
Even Novak Djokovic turned to Boris Becker in 2013. The Serb had all the weapons in his armoury, but needed help in winning the psychological battle in the big matches. Djokovic has won two Grand Slam titles with Becker, and looks untouchable as the world's top-ranked, and best, player.
Ivan Lendl coached Andy Murray to a Wimbledon title, while Magnus Norman transformed Stanislas Wawrinka from an also-ran to a two-time Grand Slam champion.
"Every player has to reinvent himself," Dr Paes said. "Similarly, every teacher serves a purpose only up to a certain level. Depending on what your needs are at a certain stage of your career, you need to change coaches. Many top players have done that. Leander has had four-five coaches over a period of time. Every coach runs his time."
Nadal needs that wind of change. He no longer can rely on his grit and a thundering forehand — which has gone quiet, anyway — to win him matches. It is imperative that he adds new dimensions to his game: maybe a better serve, a better backhand, a better volley and speed.
And there are plenty of people out there who can do that. John McEnroe, a left-handed player himself, was one of the best exponents of the serve and volley. Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg both had similar playing styles to Nadal, but they possessed dangerous backhands too. Lendl can also weave his Murray magic on the Spaniard.
Mind you, Nadal need not completely do away with his uncle. Much like Djokovic still has Marian Vajda in his team, Nadal can have Toni as his comfort factor whenever he needs it. A few months ago, Nadal said his recent string of losses was all his fault, not uncle Toni's. He added that "tennis comes second to blood".
Maybe for a brief while, to reinvent the champion within him, he needs to change the order.
Get a new damn coach: McEnroe
John McEnroe has urged Rafael Nadal to sack his uncle, Toni Nadal, as coach. "I know that he has had other people like Carlos Costa and they have tried to gently persuade Uncle Toni (to change). He has done a magnificent job since he was a little kid and told him it was a good thing to go left-handed — but clearly at this stage it would appear that some fresh ideas would be in order," John McEnroe told BBC Radio. "I'm saying get a new damn coach!"
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