Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Toni Nadal harbors some quiet fears over the future attractiveness of ATP tennis when the Federer-Nadal era truly ends. With Swiss ace Federer turning 34 this weekend – but still ranked second in the world behind Novak Djokovic – and Nadal a beat-up 29 with 14 grand slam event titles, the doubts of the longtime uncle and coach of the Spaniard are not without foundation.

“Yes, there could be problems, the current situation is very special,” the German-speaking elder Nadal told Austria’s Tennisnet website. “In 2005, Federer dominated. What happened then? In came a young Rafael. The two gave birth to a special rivalry, comparable to that between Real Madrid and Barcelona or Manchester with Liverpool.

“But it was the same at the time of Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Boris Becker.”

Uncle Toni then produced a short history of perhaps the greatest rivalry in the sport: “Federer with his fantastic tennis and technique, Rafael with his mental strength and physical ability. Both were a great combination for tennis. And then there was the advent of a super player like Djokovic.

“These three won almost all the most important titles, and that was good for tennis because you know before a big tournament you’d see a great final. Just look at how many times they have played against each other.”

But Toni warned that the future could look a lot different without the pair of huge personalities in the mix. “I see no one as good as Federer and Djokovic in the next generation of tennis players. I’m not sure Kyrgios, (Thanasi) Kokkinakis, (Borna) Coric or (Mischa) Zverev will become great tennis players. If the opposite will happen, it would be good for tennis.”

Federer is skipping the Montreal Masters next week to prepare for the Cincinnati event to follow and the US Open. Nadal won the Hamburg clay title last week as a boost for his confidence but remains an unknown force at the moment as he makes the switch over to North American cement.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.