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Mubadala World Tennis Championship: Rafael Nadal not done with grand slams, says coach

Published: 19:31 January 2, 2016 Gulf News By Euan Reedie, Chief Sports Writer – Abu Dhabi

http://gulfnews.com/sport/tennis/mubadala-world-tennis-championship-rafael-nadal-not-done-with-grand-slams-says-coach-1.1647319

Spaniard’s uncle and lifelong mentor Toni says his charge has rediscovered his mojo after an indifferent 2015
Rafael Nada’s uncle and lifelong mentor Toni (left) says his charge is very much in contention for the Australian Open title in January and Wimbledon too.

Abu Dhabi: Rafael Nadal’s coach and uncle, Toni, has backed the Spaniard to add to his tally of 14 grand slam titles, despite him not having won a major for the first time since 2004 last year.

Nadal has looked in excellent shape in his first tournament of the year, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. After slumping to his lowest world ranking since April 2005 following poor form and a loss of confidence – number 10 last June – a late-year resurgence saw Nadal climb to five.

His lifelong mentor Toni insists the pugnacious 29-year-old can scale even greater heights in 2016, endorsing Nadal’s own assertion in Abu Dhabi this weekend that he can be “very competitive”.

“Do I believe he can win another grand slam?” said Toni, in an interview with ESPN.com. “I couldn’t do this work if I thought that he couldn’t win more grand slams.

“He can win the Australian Open in January and he can win Wimbledon, too. The last few years, Rafael arrives at Wimbledon and he loses early, and very fast. And, in Roland Garros [at the French Open], for sure, Rafael can win.