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

Muscular tennis hunk Rafael Nadal stripped down to his skivvies at New York promotional appearance for sponsor Tommy Hilfiger and then confirmed he will be sticking with his uncle Toni as coach.

Nadal’s sponsor duties at New York’s Bryant Park had him engaging in a strip tennis match with runway models, with losers each removing an article of clothing for each point they lost. The end result was a display of the tennis-keen designer’s underwear line.

Talk has been rife in the game that the 29-year-old needs a change of outlook and advice as he battles to return to the ATP top five. But Nadal set the record straight, saying he will be sticking with his long-time team.

“I’ve had an amazing career with the team that I have today, the same team from the beginning,” said the 14-time grand slam champion, already in New York for the start of the US Open next week. “My feeling is if something’s not working well, it’s not because of your team — it’s because of myself. The one thing I have to change is myself.”

Nadal’s summer hardcourt preparation consisted of a Montreal quarter-final and a loss last week in the third round of Cincinnati to compatriot Feliciano Lopez. But the Spaniard remains unconcerned, citing his unceasing desire to compete and win.

“One of my best things during the whole of my career has been my mental strength,” he said. “It is something I was not able to find that consistently during this year, but I start to see that I am again with that mentality, with that self-confidence.”

Nadal takes the eighth seeding at the Open as he plays for the first time since he won the 2013 title.  “I feel  great physically, and that’s important for me because that’s giving me the confidence in my body that’s always been very important for the intensity of my movements,” he said.

“If I’m healthy and I have the chance to keep working the way I’m working now, I believe that I can keep competing well for the next couple of years and keep having chances in the big events.”

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