Ljubicic and his opinion on Nadal's retirement: "Champions play to win, not to participate"

Streaming live tennis

🎾

* You can watch and bet on this match live here..

Following Roger Federer's retirement, Ivan Ljubicic remains deeply involved in the world of tennis. However, he does so with a completely different role, as the technical director at the French Tennis Federation, overseeing the waves of talent coming from a French nation eager for Grand Slam champions. This keeps him up to date on all matters concerning the ATP circuit, including several topics he discussed in a conversation with Eurosport.

The Croatian mainly talked about the retirement of Rafael Nadal and the experiences he lived with him on the court, recalling a somewhat traumatic encounter and comparing his playing style with that of his rival (and later pupil) Roger Federer. He also had words for Roger... and, of course, about his current occupation, analyzing the present and future of French tennis.

- Initial surprise, but full understanding of Rafael Nadal's retirement decision

"I was surprised when Nadal announced his retirement. Of course, I can understand why, that's not the issue, but for me, Rafael Nadal is Roland Garros, and seeing that he won't be playing the next Roland Garros is hard to grasp. Champions like him play to win, not just to participate. I'm not exactly sure about his current level of play and physical condition, but it's not the one we were used to, which allowed him to be competitive at a very high level. However, I'm glad to see him finish at the Davis Cup, at home."

- Memories of facing Nadal and a comparison of his tennis with Federer's

"Playing against Rafa at Philippe Chatrier is difficult. It's a traumatic experience. I never faced Federer at Wimbledon, but we crossed paths many times and it was challenging because he had all types of solutions. Nadal's tennis is quite simple tactically, but it's impossible to control, especially due to his particular topspin effect. With Roger, different tactical solutions emerged in each match, making it very difficult to play against him."

- How his collaboration with Federer came about

"I was working in London with Italian television during the Masters when he invited my wife and me to dinner. He asked me if I would be interested in working with him. It surprised me a lot because I didn't know that Stefan Edberg was going to leave. I said yes, of course. That's when we started discussing goals. He asked me if I thought he could still win a Grand Slam because it had been four years since his last win. 'Certainly,' I replied. I also mentioned that I wasn't signing up to win just one Grand Slam; I wanted to win several."

- A special match with Roger and memories that will last a lifetime

"I am very proud and happy for what he did in that Australian Open final against Nadal because he was 1-3 down in the fifth set. Coming back and winning that match was very special for me. It was the most emotional moment I've experienced as a coach, and I believe also for Roger as a player. After that, the story continued, and we know that Novak won more than the rest, but that tournament was very important. What do I remember about Roger? The details, the excellence in everything he did. Preparing interviews, warm-ups, dinners... he was deeply involved in everything he did. Many times I realized I didn't know what to tell him because he was perfect. However, we also had difficult moments mentally. Everyone thinks everything is easy for Roger, but we went through challenging times."

- About the great end of the year for French tennis, with titles for Fils in Tokyo and Perricard in Basel and Humbert's final in Paris-Bercy

"For me, these are logical outcomes. Arthur Fils is a huge talent, and I hope he reaches the top 10 next year and continues his progression. I know he is very ambitious. Giovanni also had an incredible year. I know both of them quite well because they were with the FFT when I arrived. I also talk a lot with Jérémy Chardy, Ugo Humbert's coach. Everyone knows I'm there when they need me. A Masters 1000 final like the one Ugo achieved motivates the others, showing them that it's possible, not something reserved for foreigners. The fact that Humbert accomplished it, after not being an incredible junior, is interesting. I hope he reaches the top 10 early next year."

- A generation, Fils and Perricard, more 'ambitious' than Monfils and Gasquet's

"Looking at the previous generation, I feel Gilles Simon fully maximized his potential, but I think Gaël Monfils could have done more. We all know the talent Richard Gasquet had at 14, 15, or 16 years old: he had a fantastic career, but I also feel he could have gone further. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga almost reached 100% of his potential, but he had physical problems. The current generation with Arthur Fils, Giovanni, even Moïse Kouamé, with whom I talk a lot... they are different. They will give their best, they will push their limits, and I hope it will be at a very high level."

- Could they someday reach the level of Sinner and Alcaraz?

"What are they still lacking? What we need is time. In the next four or five years, very positive things will come for French tennis; we just need a little more patience. At their age, what is truly important is to keep progressing. In the past three months, Arthur Fils has shown a maturity he didn't have earlier in the year, leading to that title in Tokyo."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Ljubicic y su opinión sobre la retirada de Nadal: "Los campeones juegan para ganar, no para participar"