One of the most successful tennis coaches of all-time has been working with Alex Eala ahead of her opening US Open match, with Toni Nadal a high profile figure taking a role in her practice sessions.
The uncle of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal was a key figure in the rise of his nephew from the junior ranks and through a career that saw him establish his legendary status.
Now Nadal is working with one of the rising stars of the women’s game, with his presence in New York highlighting the influence he has in her camp.
Eala is a graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, where he has played a pivotal role in setting up one of the most prolific tennis production lines in the game in recent years.
Eala is the latest player to make a success of a professional career after coming through the ranks of the Mallorca Academy, with Casper Ruud, Jaume Munar, Martin Landaluce and Coleman Wong all making it into the top 100 on the ATP Tour after attending the Academy.
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On the WTA Tour, Argentina’s Solana Sierra, Alina Korneeva have joined Eala in making it into the top 100 of the professional rankings after emerging through the Mallorca hot-bed.
Eala looks set to be the biggest star to emerge from the Nadal Academy and Toni is clearly keen to give her as much advice as possible as she enters a Grand Slam as a contender for the first time.
Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has been a big supporter of Eala’s rise and on the latest edition of his podcast, he saluted the input of Toni Nadal and suggested he will live up to his billing as a straight-talker.
“Well, I think he’ll be direct and that’s what everybody respects,” declared Rusedski.
“I think, you know, he’s probably spent time with him at the Academy, so they’ve already built up a good working relationship. She’s been there for many, many years.
“I think honesty, transparency, and also making sure you don’t talk about things publicly. So that’s why Toni has not spoken about this. What’s the what’s the benefit for me talking in the media? It doesn’t really help me.
“You’ve got to always double check it with the player before you say anything because you’ve you’ve got to keep them on side. And it doesn’t doesn’t always help you as a coach sometimes to talk in the media as well.
“Having a guy who has won so many majors with his nephew in your team can only be good news for Eala.”
Rusedski went on to suggest Eala could win multiple Grand Slam titles as he added: “We’ve never had a Filipina ever make the fourth round of a major. One who’s been in the top 20 in the world, let the top hundred.
“She’s breaking record after record after record. And you know, she obviously broke the records being the junior world number one. She trains at the Nadal Academy. This is a fantastic story for everybody to run with.
“We were hoping that the Emma Raducanu story would go like this after she won the US Open, but unfortunately, her body hasn’t allowed her to achieve what she’s wanted to achieve.
“So this has been great for tennis, for the WTA, and also for her country. And you know, she’s consistently building week in, week out, year in, year out.
“And she’s finding a way to stay healthy, handle the pressure, handle the expectation, because she’s had to do it from a very young age. She’s the biggest star in women’s tennis right now, no question.”
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