Toni Nadal Says Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon Strategy Was "Suicidal"

Tennis coach Toni Nadal analyzed Novak Djokovic's strategy at Wimbledon.

Toni Nadal offered a stark assessment of Novak Djokovic. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Toni Nadal is known for his outspoken personality. However, the tennis coach also has the resume to back up his opinons. Currently, Nadal is the coach for Félix Auger-Aliassime, but that does not stop him from offering harsh criticism of other players.

In an interview with El Pais, Nadal analyzed Novak Djokovic's strategy against Carloz Alcaraz in the Wimbledon men's singles final match.

Nadal analyzed Djokovic's strategy, "I can imagine the doubts that Novak and his entire team had when approaching the match. The decision was not easy. It is the same one that is presented to many players and teams when they face a superior opponent. How do we approach the meeting? Do we face it with our usual weapons and our own style or, on the contrary, do we try to neutralize our rival by looking for other solutions, moving away from our characteristic game?"

Nadal continued, "Personally, I always chose the first. Djokovic opted for the second alternative. Knowing that neither his legs nor the precision of his blows are what they used to be, and that a long and physical match would not favor him either, he tried a tactic that, in the end, proved suicidal. He wanted to impose a high pace, play aggressively, shorten the exchanges from the back of the court, and at the slightest opportunity, close the points on the net."

Toni Nadal says the Wimbledon final between Alcaraz & Djokovic proved that the real rivalry in the coming tournaments is between Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner, ‘Perhaps only Jannik can play the Spaniard on equal terms’

“I can imagine the doubts that Novak and his entire team… pic.twitter.com/027n0jY2bw

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 18, 2024

Nadal concluded, "In my opinion, the only option the Serbian had was to try to slow down the game. To hope that he was completely right and to trust that Carlos was not having his best day…"

In the interview, Nadal said the the match between Alcaraz and Djokovic proved that the real rivalry in the coming tournaments is between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

"This Sunday's final confirms that the real rivalry in the next tournaments and, probably, in the next few years will be between these two: the Italian and our great Spanish champion."

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Further Reading: Rafael Nadal makes his decision on the US Open.