Rafael Nadal says men’s tennis is starting to look more like the WTA

TL;DR

Rafael Nadal believes men's tennis is increasingly resembling the WTA in terms of dynamics and competition. He reflects on the changes in the sport during his two-year absence.

Key points

Rafael Nadal reflects on changes in men's tennis.
Men's tennis is resembling the WTA more closely.
Nadal has been absent from tennis for two years.
Nadal is a global icon in the sport.
He is known for his down-to-earth personality.

Mentioned in this story

Rafael NadalRoger FedererNovak Djokovic

Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal’s legacy goes beyond his success on the court. He’s a global icon, recognised well outside the boundaries of tennis.

Even with everything he’s accomplished in the sport, matching up with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic over two decades, he still comes across as one of the most down-to-earth figures in tennis.

The Spaniard is happy to reflect on his career but also offers an interesting view on how the game has changed during his absence over the past two years.

Recently, while speaking to students at his academy, he shared an interesting perspective on how some male players are adopting elements commonly seen in the women’s game.

Rafael Nadal explains why male players are starting to play more like WTA players

Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

When asked by one of his students what the biggest difference is between the men’s and women’s games, Rafael Nadal responded: “It’s not an easy answer.”

He went on to say: “From my point of view, male players are playing now a little bit the way that the female player plays. Female players, normally they play aggressive; they go for every shot. I really believe that.

“I mean, the male players normally have a better ability to move faster, but the female players normally, they are very clear about how they play. They go for the shots in the first ball. I think they are very aggressive on the return. They try to make the points shorter, I think because they don’t have that ability to move that well.

“Some of them go big since the beginning and I feel that ATP players and male players are now playing a little bit more that way.”