Toni Nadal’s reaction when Fernando Alonso is compared to Rafa Nadal

Rafa Nadal announced this Thursday that he will end his career next November after the Davis Cup final. And although it was a somewhat expected decision, the news of his withdrawal has made the front pages of the main national and international media. The figure of Rafa Nadal, as was demonstrated again yesterday, goes beyond a racket and his ‘Grand Slams’.

One of those responsible for making Nadal one of the most important athletes in history is Toni Nadal, his uncle and the coach who took him to the tennis Olympus. Last night he stopped by ‘El Larguero’ on Cadena Ser and when Manu Carreño raised the debate about whether Rafa Nadal is the best Spanish athlete of all time, Toni didn’t want to get ‘wet’: “Well, I think it’s difficult… There is Marc Márquez who has won eight world championships… I don’t know who else… Indurain!

Carreño tried to help him with the list of athletes who would enter this debate: “Ángel Nieto, Fernando Alonso, Pau Gasol…”. When Toni heard the Asturian’s name he stopped the presenter in his tracks: «No, Fernando Alonso cannot be compared to Rafael. Fernnado was two years old… I like to be fair and Rafael is one of the best in history in his activity. Fernando has only won two World Cups. I know that he has been and is a great driver, probably one of the best in recent years, but he has only won two titles. Rafael is superior in this sense… Five years number 1, 22 ‘Grand Slams’…».

Toni Nadal did buy the comparison with Marc Márquez but insisted that it is “difficult” to determine who is the best Spanish athlete in history. «It is always very difficult because you have to see the number of people who play (that sport). It is not the same as being a majority or minority sport. “I don’t know who is the best and I don’t think it matters much.”