Very good article with insight from Carlos Moya and Francis Roig, Rafa’s coaches.
A great testament to Rafa’s growth mindset and obsession with improving his entire game. And his courage to try new methods of attack.
As coaches, we know how hard it can sometimes be to convince grinders to strike early and move forward.
Also, the article is perhaps a reflection on some general weaknesses in the Spanish model of junior development that Rafa is still trying to overcome. Namely, many Spanish juniors do not develop their attacking play, net game completely, or their serve as a big weapon.
Nadal is still working on these aspects in his 30’s!
On the flip side, one could argue that it’s better to become solid from the baseline early on like Rafa did, and then slowly add serve and all-court game capabilities.
Two dueling philosophies of development could be debated based on this piece.
Which philosophy is right?
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-efficiency-evolution-feature-us-open-2019
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