Toni Nadal will coach Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime in the clay-court tournaments leading up to the French Open. Toni Nadal coached his nephew Rafael Nadal for many years before stepping aside in 2017.
This partnership is exciting on many fronts. First, many believed that Toni Nadal will not coach anyone besides Rafa. Second, the fact that Nadal agreed to work with Auger-Aliassime shows that Nadal believes the Canadian has the right attitude and can be coached to take his game to the next level.
I told myself that it would be good to go to somebody who has been at the highest level of our sport. Someone who has been to where I want to go one day. We approached Toni with the possibility to come to Mallorca to meet him, to train and to discuss, so we did.
-Felix Auger-Aliassime
Frederic Fontang will continue to be Auger-Aliassime’s full-time coach but Nadal is expected to play an active role.
Toni Nadal was able to tweak Rafa’s game that helped Rafa reach great heights. The Tennis world is eagerly waiting to see if he can help Auger-Aliassmine reach his full potential.