Is humility Rafael Nadal's greatest weakness?

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It has been four days since Rafa Nadal hung up his racket playing his last professional match in the Davis Cup. Four days since one of the greatest legends in tennis and sports bid farewell at his home, satisfied with having achieved more successes than he could have imagined. Nadal had a farewell that could be described as intimate, humble, in line with his personality. Not only is the Balearic's career defined by his professional achievements, but also by the image he has always portrayed, sincere, respectful, unpretentious, and with values.

One of Roger Federer's coaches, Paul Annacone, knows Nadal very well from the time he spent with the Swiss studying his game to try to beat him later on. The American coach was on Federer's bench from 2010 to 2013, giving him the opportunity to analyze Rafa well. So, after those years, Annacone realized something that could have been a double-edged sword in the Spaniard's career. "Rafa's only flaw was also his greatest virtue. His only flaw was his humility, and that is also his greatest virtue. Sometimes I looked at him and wondered why he didn't have a bigger ego. He was always so kind and humble in what he did that sometimes it hindered his ability to step onto the court and crush the ball," the coach said on the Inside-In Podcast on Tennis Channel.

Annacone believes that the Balearic's respectful personality may have prevented him from unleashing his aggressive potential on some occasions. "When Rafa felt vulnerable, he didn't crush the ball. We saw it in his last match because he hadn't played and was on his worst surface. His ball has a lot of spin and stays up, but due to that humility, he didn't step onto the court and started hitting balls everywhere," the American said in relation to that extra intensity he missed in the Davis Cup. "Once again, his greatest weakness, if he had one, was his humility. If you replace that with how kind and valuable he is, I'll stick to that balance," Paul added, emphasizing how that simplicity has ended up defining his legacy.

Unraveling Nadal's game to then design strategies alongside Federer

Indeed, those three years coaching Federer helped him understand the complexity of the Balearic's game. This was very necessary if he wanted to help his player design efficient strategies to defeat him. Whether it worked or not, Annacone really enjoyed that time alongside Nadal's biggest rival (along with Novak Djokovic). However, Rafa didn't make it easy for him. "There is no greater challenge. And, for me, fortunately, I also got to play with Roger, possibly one of the most talented athletes who has ever held a tennis racket, so it was a great contrast between the two. It was always fun trying to sit there and solve problems and figure out what Roger could do to make him uncomfortable."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Es la humildad la mayor debilidad de Nadal?