Toni Nadal, Tournament Director of the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Mallorca Championships, reflected on the evolution of the event in interviews with IB3 Ràdio and Radio Marca Baleares on Thursday. The Manacor native praised the tournament’s steady development within the ATP Tour and expressed his satisfaction with both the quality of the tennis and the organisational progress.

“A few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to stage a grass-court tournament in Spain, let alone in Mallorca,” he said. “Thanks to Edwin Weindorfer’s vision and determination over many years to bring this tournament here, it has established itself as one of the leading ATP 250 events on the Tour. Year after year, it continues to grow stronger and gain in prestige.”

From a sporting perspective, Nadal admitted he has particularly enjoyed the style of tennis on display this year at the Mallorca Country Club.

“I’ve enjoyed the standard of matches more this year because I like tennis that isn’t so fast. I enjoy seeing longer rallies, and this year we’ve had more matches like that. Players such as Grigor Dimitrov and Luciano Darderi produce exactly this kind of tennis.”

He also highlighted the quality of the quarter-final line-up:
“A Davidovich–Dimitrov match has all the ingredients to be a great contest. So far, I’m very happy with the level of tennis we’ve seen this week.”

The tournament director also opened the debate on possible rule changes in tennis.
“Tennis is the only sport that starts with what is effectively a penalty kick,” he remarked. “The serve has too much influence. Something should be done to reduce that advantage and encourage longer rallies, because that’s what spectators enjoy watching.”

In Nadal’s view, tennis is also one of the sports that has changed the least over time.
“Sports need to adapt to changes in equipment, to the evolution of athletes and to society itself. Tennis has struggled to do that because the top players are comfortable with the game as it is.”

Asked about the increasing competitiveness of today’s Tour, Nadal pointed to the mental aspect of the game as one of the key differences compared to previous generations.
“In the past, it was very unusual for a Top 5 player to lose to someone ranked much lower. Today’s players are more vulnerable and deal less effectively with frustration.”

He illustrated the point by recalling a conversation with Alexander Zverev:
“I told him he is a great player when he’s playing well, but when he isn’t, he becomes an average player. Nadal, Djokovic and Murray still found ways to win, even on their bad days.”

That philosophy is closely linked to the approach he has always followed as a coach.
“If you aspire to achieve something difficult, you have to prepare yourself for adversity. You build character by persevering when things aren’t going your way and by giving yourself more opportunities to improve. It’s a simple idea, but a very effective one.”

Finally, Nadal underlined the tournament’s growth beyond the court. He praised the improvements made to the VIP areas, players’ facilities and the overall organisation of the event. “Nowadays, a tournament is judged not only by what happens on court but also by everything around it. When you travel around the Tour and compare ATP 250 events, there aren’t many that are better than this one. The players are very happy with the hotel, the facilities and the surroundings, and that says a great deal about the tournament.”