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Toni Nadal, Rafa’s uncle as well as being his coach since the early days, is currently in his last season on court alongside his nephew, and thus readying himself for what should be his last Roland-Garros in a few weeks… Unless, of course, there is a change in circumstances…
Rafael Nadal

What did you think or feel last Sunday when Rafa won the Monte Carlo Masters for a tenth time – a record for any tournament?

I don’t know (smiles). Ten titles at Monte Carlo is incredible… but the ninth was incredible as well. And so were the eighth, the seventh and the sixth… Ten is even more so, that’s true. I’m just very happy that Rafael won.
Read more: Rafael Nadal, evergreen on the red dust

When he achieved this first "decima" though, wasn’t a more emotional moment than the titles that came before?

No. I think it was more complicated winning in Monaco last year, as Rafael hadn’t played well in 2015. This year, he got off to a good start to the season, and the truth is, when we got to Monte Carlo, we did say to ourselves that he was one of the potential winners.

Why was that? Because after his excellent start to the year, making the final in Melbourne, Acapulco and Miami, you knew that once you go to the clay, he was bound to play well?

For me, he wasn’t exactly the favourite because there was also Djokovic and Murray, and they are No.1 and No.2 in the world. But yes, I did think that based on how he was playing, Rafael was one of a group of players who could win Monte Carlo.

Was it important for him to get back to winning tournaments? He hadn’t taken home any silverware since Barcelona last year…

(Interrupts) Last year, he was injured. In 2016, Rafael won Monte Carlo, beating Murray and Monfils, then Barcelona where he beat Nishikori. Then he made the semi-finals in Madrid, but even before the match started, his wrist was injured (he began feeling it during his quarter-final against Joao Sousa). From that point onwards, everything changed. After that, his wrist never got back to full health all year, so it was different. It’s not like he played badly last year. No, what didn’t help was that he started playing again before he was fully healed. But he was still playing well.

Was the time after his very emotional announcement that he was pulling out of Roland-Garros last year a difficult one? After all the work that had been done to get back to such a high level…

(Shrugs his shoulders) Look, it was what he’s been doing all his life. I never wonder whether it’s difficult or not, you know, because you can’t alter things that happen in life. Sometimes, in moments like those, when Rafael began to say: "No, not with the injury…", I always answered back: "That’s just the way it is. Don’t ever start telling yourself that it’s difficult because if you tell yourself that it’s too difficult, we won’t end up doing it." (Pause). Difficult is the way things are.

Have the two of you talked about the possibility of "la decima" at Roland-Garros in a few weeks’ time as one of your aims?

No. The first time that Rafael made the final of a Masters 1000 was in Miami (in 2005 against Roger Federer), and everyone was saying: "Miami is the most important Masters 1000 tournament!" And I turned round and said: "I’d rather win Monte Carlo". Now, after 10 titles at that tournament, I don’t know what I would prefer… Because if we had won in Miami, maybe that would have been a special tournament for us (smiles). But for Spaniards like us, in our subconscious, when we think Masters 1000, we always think Monte Carlo, looking out over the sea and all that. For us, winning at Monaco is incredible. So you can understand that given what Roland-Garros represents to us Spaniards, winning 10 times in Paris would be… (he exhales, then spreads his arms out wide) enormous.
Read more: Rafael Nadal chasing more clay milestones en route to Roland-Garros

It would be extraordinary…

Yes. Because it would be the tenth. And also because every time Rafael wins Roland-Garros, we can then say already that he’s had a great season.
Rafael Nadal's coach and uncle Antonio Toni Nadal claps in the stands after Rafa closes out the match for the win.

So basically winning in Monte Carlo then Barcelona gives you confidence for Roland-Garros…

I’ll tell you in a month’s time… (smiles) In tennis, and in sport in general, things can change very quickly. When you win, you build up a lot of confidence. But if for example in the first round in Monte Carlo against Kyle Edmund, Rafael had lost that point and gone 2-1 down in the third set, well… confidence would have been rock bottom! So yes, it’s true, we’re very confident at the moment. But maybe if Rafael loses in Madrid, we’ll be less confident. We’ll see! A lot of things can still happen by the time Roland-Garros comes around.

Two years ago, Rafa had a lot of doubts. Is that now all in the past?

Yes, I think so. But maybe that’s a question that you should ask him (smiles). I think it’s usual. For a number of years, Rafael had to play through physical issues. Sometimes he couldn’t even bend his legs. At times like those, you lose all confidence in your body. You go out on court, but you don’t know exactly what you’ve got, or even how you’re going to play, and so your head starts filling up with things. Afterwards, you think: "That’s just too hard…". But when he decided to stop last October, he got all the answers he needed. And after that, he could start playing again and he got back to a very good level straight away.

Is this season different for you in that you have announced that it will be your last one alongside Rafa?

(Without a moment’s hesitation) No. I’m not too clever, you know – I struggle to think very far ahead (smiles). When I leave Monte Carlo, I know that I won’t be there next year, but for me, that changes nothing. We won at Monte Carlo, I am happy and I’m not thinking about next year. It’s really not a problem (smiles).
Read more: From Mallorca to Roland-Garros: Nadal - Moya, a long story

But when you think about Roland-Garros coming up, you don’t say to yourself: "This will be my last"?

Yes, it will be my last Roland-Garros. So what? I’ve been lucky enough to experience things that I never thought I would. I can still see myself back at the club in Manacor where I was head of the tennis school. I never thought that I would go to Monte Carlo 14 times or Roland-Garros 13 times! No, I would never have imagined that. If you’d told me that we would be able to go to these places two, four, five or six times, I would have snatched your arm off. And at the end of the day, with Rafael, we went there a lot more often… So overall, we ended up winning a lot more than I ever dreamt we would. Yes. That’s turned out pretty well (smiles)."

Roger Federer can shock the world and beat Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, at the forthcoming 2017 French Open, according to Australian tennis legend Rod Laver. Federer has defeated Nadal, his arch nemesis, on three separate occasions this year, including a five-set clash at the 2017 Australian Open final.

The 35-year-old Federer also beat Nadal at the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and most recently the finals of the Miami Open in Key Biscayne. Federer still trails the Spaniard 23-14 in their 13-year rivalry but the Swiss Master has now won four consecutive match-ups against Nadal dating back to the 2015 Basel final.

Federer's newfound success against Nadal has been attributed to the improvement in his backhand, which was previously his weakest shot. "The way he’s (Federer) playing, it isn’t a far-reaching situation for him to win the French Open," Laver said in a recent interview, via Tennis World USA.

In 2009, Federer completed the career Grand Slam with his elusive French Open championship after Nadal shockingly lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round. At the time, analysts felt Federer was lucky to evade Nadal despite beating the Spaniard in the finals of the Madrid Masters a week before.

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal rivalry to resume at French Open 2017?

According to Laver, Federer's backhand could help him defeat Nadal once again at Roland Garross, the way he did at Melbourne Park at the start of the year. "It’s (Federer's backhand) night and day. It’s like he (has) found a totally new backhand. (Nadal) has that left-handed forehand that goes into Roger’s backhand, so he usually starts the point behind. Now, he’s capable of holding up under the pressure Rafa puts him under," said Laver, who captured two French Open championships (1962, 1969) in his illustrous career.

After beating Nadal at Indian Wells, Federer revealed the adjustment that has helped him get the better of his long-time rival. "By coming over my backhand on the return, from the get-go of the point, I can dominate points right away. It's important to keep your opponent off-guard and know that he has to be careful," said Federer, who clinched an unprecedented Grand Slam No. 18 at the 2017 Australian Open.

Nadal on track to win 10th French Open title

Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have made remarkable comebacks from an injury-ridden 2016 season. While the two all-time great players have avoided clashes against top-ranked stars Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, it's difficult to overlook them as contenders for the remaining three Grand Slam events of the year.

The 30-year-old Spaniard has looked nearly untouchable on his road to Roland Garross after notching up relatively easy victories at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open. The 14-time Grand Slam champion will now look to gather more momentum at the Madrid Open (May 7-14), the lone Masters 1000 tournament on Spanish soil. After the event in La Caja Magica, Nadal will travel to Rome for the Italian Open (May 14-21) in what would be his last stop before Roland Garross.

Nadal began 2017 as the World No. 9 with a cloud of uncertainty hanging around his future. However, he has quickly dispelled those doubts, climbing to World No. 5 with a realistic chance to earn a Top-3 seeding at the forthcoming French Open. Federer is also expected to earn a Top-5 seeding despite skipping most of the clay-court season. The 2017 French Open begins on May 22.