Sport 1, April 28, 2024
The tennis Boom is over. What should be changed? Only Rainer Sch�ttler is in the World League. Tommy Haas has been injured for months, Nicolas Kiefer is -again- out of form, it seems we lack talents. Where is the German Rafael Nadal?
Sport1 talked to Patrik K�hnen, coach of the German Davis-Cup team. A wrap-up:
Sport1: Where is the �German Rafael Nadal�? (who beat last year�s Roland Garros champion Albert Costa in Monte Carlo � ed. note)
K�hnen: I wonder too, unfortunately. I know we do a lot for the young people, more than in a lot of other countries. All the more reason to be disappointed when they do not live up to their talents.
Sport1: What does Nadal have, that the German talents lack?
K�hnen: He has a clear goal. He wants to be with the best.
Sport1: What makes him different?
K�hnen: I know of no other player that is so full of energy on the court and plays his tennis game with so much emotion. Yes, he lives for his tennis. Nadal has just that one goal, to move upwards. In the last twelve months he jumped from a world ranking in the 600�s to the 100�s. And that aged 16. That is sensational. Last year, in the Wimbledon Juniors Philipp Petzschner played Nadal in the quarters. (Nadal won 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 - ed. note) Seeing their talent, we don�t need to talk about who was the better player there. (Petzschner was seeded 8th, Nadal was not seeded � ed. note) But the one is now well inside the 100 best players and the other one is still around 400. Okay, Nadal is an exception, but the players must have the urge from within. Unconditionally.
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**Thanks to joes for translating this interview from German to English. Please do not copy or use on other sites without permission of Rafaelnadal.com**
