Roger Federer opened 2018 successfully defending his Australian Open title to claim his 20th Grand Slam crown.
Don't expect Federer to master another major in 2019, says Uncle Toni Nadal.
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Toni Nadal, Rafa Nadal's uncle and former coach, says the 37-year-old Swiss' age combined with the arduous best-of-five set Grand Slam format makes it unlikely Federer will raise another Grand Slam title trophy.
Writing for the Spanish publication El Pais, Toni Nadal says Federer's days of winning majors may well be done, though he cautions he's said that before and Federer "repeatedly surprised me."
"What can we expect from 2019? I find it hard to see Federer raise another Grand Slam cup," Toni Nadal wrote in his column for Spanish publication El Pais. "Obviously, I do not say it for [his] game, although I do say it for the hardness of the five-set tournaments. I have to confess that I said that on other occasions and the Swiss, repeatedly, surprised me."
Uncle Toni, who now works as a player development coach for the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, also suggests it's a matter of time before younger players like Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev and Roland Garros runner-up Dominic Thiem surpass the Big 4.
"NextGen players have continued to grow and improve," Toni Nadal wrote. "I think we have seen, at last, a quality leap in [their] game. I understand that there are many of us who see the definitive consolidation of players like Zverev or Thiem, although for obvious reasons I want it to happen later than soon.
"I would gladly wait for them to be delayed a little longer. On a regular basis, new generations, in all sports, have surpassed the records of their predecessors. Michael Phelps beat the times of Ian Thorpe; Usain Bolt, those of Carl Lewis and those of Ben Johnson."
While Toni Nadal praised Zverev's future, he also predicted nephew Rafa will be back at full strength and have several battles with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
"For some time I had my doubts about whether the youngsters would be able to overcome the game of Federer in grass, the one of Djokovic in fast [courts] and the one of Rafael in [clay]," Toni Nadal wrote. "And I had the impression that the relay would be caused rather by the decline of some than by the attack of others...
"The final in London has made me think about it. For now, for the coming year, I trust in the full physical recovery of Rafael, I feel new episodes of his rivalry with Djokovic and, in general, a more open panorama with the definitive incorporation of the new generation."
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