Toni Nadal has closed the door on ever coaching Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner. The man who guided Rafael Nadal through most of his career told Spanish website 20 Minutos that the idea simply does not fit the life he leads now, in comments reported by Tennis365.
“I don’t think that will happen. I wouldn’t coach either of them or any other player because I’m already out of the competitive world,” he said.
The 65-year-old was asked directly whether he would ever consider taking on the two players who have defined men’s tennis for most of the past three seasons. His answer was unambiguous, but it was not dismissive of either camp. Toni Nadal said he does not know their methods in detail, and added that both setups clearly work.
A preference, if forced to choose
Pressed to pick between the two, Toni Nadal did not duck. He went with the Spaniard, and he framed it as a matter of style.
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He described Alcaraz as an intelligent and very well-rounded player on court. Infobae reported that Toni Nadal was careful to add he could not say which of the two is the stronger player overall, so the nod should be read as a preference and not a verdict.
Sinner retools his coaching team
The timing of the comments is pointed. Sinner’s team is in flux: LaPresse reported on Monday, citing The Times, that Swedish former world No. 2 Magnus Norman will join the Italian’s camp alongside Simone Vagnozzi, with Darren Cahill stepping back to spend more time with his family. Norman worked with Stan Wawrinka from 2013 to September 2020, the years in which the Swiss won his three Grand Slam titles.
For a brief moment, Toni Nadal was an obvious name in the parlor game around who might work with Alcaraz or Sinner. He has now ruled himself out. He runs the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca and keeps a punditry schedule across Spanish and international media.
Where the two players are now
Alcaraz is on court at the Vienna Open this week after accepting a late entry when the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia was postponed. The year-end top ranking is already decided, however. Alexander Zverev clinched the 2026 year-end world No. 1 position after Alcaraz’s third-round defeat to Zizou Bergs at the Shanghai Masters on October 12.
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Sinner has been ruled out for the rest of 2026 with a knee injury.
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