Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, has addressed the frustrations voiced by Carlos Alcaraz regarding the balls used at the Shanghai Masters. He drew parallels to a similar situation experienced by his nephew during his career.
Alcaraz’s unexpected exit in the third round of the Shanghai Masters came after a defeat to Belgian Zizou Bergs, with scores of 5-7, 6-7 (4). This loss not only affected the schedule of the world number three but also sparked discussions within the tennis community.
During the match and in the subsequent press conference, Alcaraz expressed his dissatisfaction with the ball behavior and highlighted significant differences in court surface speed between matches.
Toni Nadal Addresses Alcaraz’s Comments in Shanghai
Throughout his match against Bergs, Alcaraz appeared visibly frustrated, complaining to his team about the unpredictable bounce and high trajectory of the balls.
Later, in the media briefing, Alcaraz shared that in his first match, which he won against Juan Manuel Cerundolo (6-3, 6-3), he played indoors with the roof closed, which made the game feel extremely fast. Conversely, during his outdoor match against Bergs, he perceived the balls as larger and considerably slower. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that he did not perform at his best during critical moments of the match.
Toni Nadal, offering his insights in a column for El País, reflected on the excuses related to equipment, recalling a similar episode from Rafael Nadal’s career. He recounted how, during a US Open tournament, Rafa frequently complained in practice that the balls did not produce his usual spin effect. Yet shortly thereafter, he competed in Beijing with the same balls and won the title effortlessly.
“Every day during practice, he would say, ‘These balls don’t suit me. They don’t spin properly.’ I told him, ‘What you need to do is lose and then return to Mallorca. There, the balls will spin,'” Toni Nadal remarked.
Although Nadal faced defeat in New York, he later triumphed in Beijing. Toni Nadal delivered a humorous response, stating, “What a coincidence! In Beijing, the balls spin, but in New York, they don’t!”
