Toni Nadal has had a significant role in the making of Rafael Nadal. The latter’s uncle guided him in tennis when the 22-time Grand Slam champion was just 4 years old. Subsequently, as Nadal turned professional, Toni remained his coach on the ATP Tour and achieved tremendous success together.

It didn’t take long for Nadal to win his first Grand Slam title. In his maiden appearance at the French Open in 2005, Nadal defeated Mariano Ruben Puerta in the summit clash to win his first major title. As a child, Nadal did most things right-handed. However, while playing tennis, he used his left hand. The former World Number 1 revealed the reason for this change.

Rafael Nadal talks about Toni Nadal’s role in turning him left-handed

In his book, Rafa: My Story, Nadal has detailed why he chose the left hand over the right hand in tennis. He said, “I’ve seen reports in the news media saying that Toni forced me to play left-handed, and that he did this because it would make me harder to play against. Well, it’s not true. It’s a story the newspapers have made up. The truth is that I began playing when I was very small, and because I wasn’t strong enough to hit the ball over the net, I’d hold the racquet with both hands, on the forehand as well as the backhand.”

Further, he added, “Then one day my uncle said, “There are no professional players who play with two hands and we’re not going to be the first ones, so you’ve got to change.” So I did, and what came naturally to me was to play left-handed. Why, I can’t tell. Because I write with my right hand, and when I play basketball or golf-or darts-I play right-handed too. But in football I play with my left; my left foot is much stronger than my right.”

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On gaining an advantage while playing left-handed, Nadal said, “People say this gives me an advantage on the double-handed backhand, and that may be right. Having more feeling, more control on both hands than the majority of players has to work in my favor, especially on cross-court shots, where a little extra strength helps.”

Nadal practices in his academy

After his injury setback at Wimbledon, Nadal has returned to training. Recently, he was seen training at his academy, the Rafa Nadal Academy. The 22-time Grand Slam champion suffered an abdominal injury at the Wimbledon Championships. Subsequently, he withdrew from the tournament before his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios.

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However, Nadal has recovered on time and will be seen in action soon. He will play at the Canadian Open in Montreal next month.