Rafael Nadal was extremely hands-on with Iga Swiatek while she was training at his academy in Mallorca.
Swiatek relieved Wim Fissette of his duties following her shock defeat to Magda Linette in the second round of the Miami Open.
The Pole went to work at the Rafael Nadal Academy shortly after and the King of Clay surprisingly took her through her paces, alongside new coach Francisco Roig.
Toni Nadal, who coached his nephew for much of his career, has now confirmed if he the King of Clay will become a full-time coach.
Toni Nadal discusses Rafael Nadal’s chances of becoming a coach
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Nadal cast doubt on his nephew ever becoming a full-time coach.
He said: “No [he will not coach], because his life is set up for other things. It’s very difficult. A coach has to dedicate himself 100%. My nephew has quite a few responsibilities for his own affairs.
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“He lived more than twenty years on the courts; now he has many other things that require a lot of time, apart from the fact that he is very happy with the family, with his children.”
Nadal believes the landscape for coaching has changed dramatically too, which could put his nephew off joining up with a player on the ATP or WTA Tour.
“And the life of a coach is not easy either, more and more changes are being experienced. Nowadays, it’s more difficult. I experienced a different era with coaches like Lennart Bergelin and ‘Pato’ Alvarez, who were very strict and didn’t allow players much say.
“I’m not saying it should be like that, but respect has to go both ways – and if anything, there should be more respect for experience.
“These days, it can be difficult to work with some players, and we’re seeing more frequent coaching changes. When things go wrong, the coach is often blamed, rather than the player taking responsibility.
“I don’t know any coach who tells a player to miss shots – if you fail, it’s your responsibility. I said that to Felix [Auger-Aliassime] one day: don’t look for excuses.”
While Nadal has not yet become a coach, he has overseen several high-profile younger stars’ start in tennis at his academy.
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Fans and pundits have discussed Nadal’s chances of becoming a tennis coach ever since his retirement in 2024.
Some of Nadal’s contemporaries, including Andy Murray, have already joined the ATP Tour as a coach since retirement.
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Following his retirement in 2024, Alex Corretja explained the reasons why Nadal’s foray into coaching won’t happen.
He said: “In my opinion, it’s impossible. 99.9% impossible, because you can’t say totally impossible in life. But I would be very, very surprised.
“I think he’s going to need time to realize what he really wants to do. Rafa lives in Manacor and he has his academy. So I don’t see him moving around much.”
Nadal made his return to the Australian Open this year, for the first time since he retired from the sport two years ago.