Uncle Toni, long-time coach of Rafael Nadalhas commented on his nephew’s upcoming retirement.
by Florian Goosmann
last edited: November 6th, 2024, 8:29 p.m
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The farewell for Rafael Nadal was emotional in the spring (at the French Open) and summer (at the Olympic Games). Because no player has shaped Roland-Garros more in the past 20 years than the 14-time champion from Manacor. Paris without Nadal? It’s hard to imagine.
But the relationship between the French tennis audience at Roland-Garros and Nadal was not always so warm. Nadal fought for years against crowd favorite Roger Federer, whose elegance won hearts in droves. However, Federer was never able to win against his long-term Spanish rival on the Paris clay.
And Nadal felt great celebration for the underdogs in other matches, especially in the first few years. When Robin Söderling actually defeated him in 2009, the atmosphere was ugly. Which also made Uncle Toni comment: “The Paris audience is pretty stupid.”
Toni Nadal: “It’s also about how you win”
That has long been forgotten. “The first year there was no animosity. I think later, when he won so often, people didn’t want to see him triumph as often,” Toni recently reflected in an interview with the portal Flashscore.
“But in the end, I think the French public capitulated to Rafael’s behavior. Because life is not just about winning, but also about how to win. I think Rafael did it very well, and that’s why “The situation in France changed, right down to the recognition they gave him at the Olympics.”
Nadal “had wanted to continue”
Uncle Toni also talked about the problem of finding the time to resign. Yes, it was difficult for Rafa to break up. “Because it is difficult for anyone to give up an activity that you like and that you have done for many years.” Nadal’s problem is that he has had to deal with injuries for years, but has always overcome them. That’s what he was waiting for now. “But this time it just didn’t happen. And when he realized that a return to his old strength was impossible, he decided to end his career. But first and foremost, of course, he wanted to continue.”
Nadal will end his career at the Davis Cup Finals from November 19th to 24th in Malaga, Spain.
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