Rafael Nadal’s Uncle Toni Makes a Gloomy Prophecy on Nephew’s Complicated Rivalry With Novak Djokovic

With Novak Djokovic winning the Australian Open, the debate about the greatest tennis player of all time has found a new wind. Before Djokovic’s 10th Australian Open title, Rafael Nadal was being touted as the best. He held the record for the most Grand Slam titles with 22 titles in the men’s singles division. Now, fans of Djokovic have heated up the debate.

An old coach and relative of Nadal has spoken out about the rivalry between the two.

Toni Nadal started playing tennis when he was 14. However, his career as a player was short-lived. He obtained a trainer’s degree and started coaching younger students in the Manacor tennis club. Toni started training his nephew, Rafael Nadal when he was three. He was Rafa’s main coach ever since he was three all the way up to 2016 after Nadal had won many grand slams. 

Toni Nadal says Rafael Nadal will face a difficult time

Toni recently talked about his nephew and his early exit from the Australian Open. He shed some light on the injury situation of Rafa and discussed some more points. Toni says that Rafa has to rest for three or four more weeks before he can play again.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 03: (L-R) Toni Nadal and Rafael Nadal of Spain chat during a practice session ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Tennis Centre on August 3, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Even though he is hopeful, Toni believes that Rafa will have a difficult time overcoming Djokovic since Djokovic is ‘fresher’ than him. Toni is still hopeful that Nadal will win the Roland Garros, and then one can form an opinion about the debate. However, he chooses to remain neutral for now.

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When asked about Rafael’s career, Toni further explained that it’s not about winning one tournament or the other. Rather, it’s about continuing the fight and doing what he likes since he has loved the sport from a young age. Toni still understands that titles are important, but Rafael needs to focus more on continuing playing tennis as he has been through various injuries. 

Toni Nadal on Rafa’s injuries

Rafael Nadal lost against Mackenzie McDonald in his second-round bout in the Australian Open. The ‘King of Clay’ apparently entered the tournament with injuries and wasn’t able to perform because of the same. His uncle talked about the situation of players and injuries in a newspaper column.

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He stated that Rafa had to battle with injuries throughout his career. Sometimes they went out of hand, and he had to pull out of tournaments. He also talked about the outrage caused by Novak Djokovic’s injury and his mid-match break. He believes that Djokovic is not faking injury, but it is normal for people to have doubts.