Former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson is in the city for the Champions Tennis League. On Wednesday, the Swede spoke about the players in the second rung of the ladder, on coaching youngsters and shared his reading of what Rafael Nadal has been working on to get back into the groove.
Excerpts:
On shaping up today’s youngsters
It’s a different generation. They think and work differently. They are a little bit more aware of things than the previous generations. It takes a while for us to get used to the new generation.
It’s an interesting time now in tennis, with the experienced guys at the top and the younger guys chasing them.
On the tendency of the current players to seek former players’ services
I think it’s important to have someone experienced to talk to because it’s tough for someone who has not been out there to know how exactly a player feels.
One can see that all the top guys are calling in former players now to try and develop their game and mental strength. People can see how strong Novak Djokovic is at the moment, and I think one of the biggest reasons is Boris Becker.
On players like del Potro who have shown the potential but are not quite ‘Big Four’ level
They are growing up at a very tough time. Look at someone like David Ferrer. He has always been one of the best players in the world but has had to be in the shadow of Rafael Nadal. If David had come up in a different time, I’m sure he would’ve won a Grand Slam.
The top guys are so good and strong. Stan (Wawrinka) has shots from anywhere in the court. del Potro was smashing the ball so hard when he won the U.S. Open.
You have to come up with something different. You cannot just go in and beat them in their best game.
On Nadal’s downslide and the imminent-looking revival
These players live under so much pressure. It’s tough to live with huge expectations day-in and day-out. Rafa is working hard to try and keep up with the top guys.
He’s working a lot on his serve; his serve, I think, has improved. But it could be improved further.
He’s working on trying to be more aggressive and not to get too much behind the baseline.
He’s been practicing that way. I think it’s just a matter of time before people see a different Rafa on court.