Rafael Nadal, a Spanish tennis legend and the 2022 Rolland Garros champion, has won a record 22 Grand Slam titles who is also one of the three major players known as the “Big Three” in contemporary tennis, together with Novak Djokovic and recently retired Roger Federer.
The King of Clay, meanwhile, was torn between being a tennis player and a soccer player when he was young, but then his well-known uncle, Toni Nadal, helped him make this decision and ultimately nurtured him to become the famous sports personality he is today.
As a result, Toni has had a huge influence on Rafael’s career since childhood, who appeared in the media headlines not long ago amid the retirement rumor of his nephew from professional tennis.
Rafa’s uncle Toni also asserted that Nadal will carry on playing tennis as long as he thinks he can win championships. Again, Roger Federer’s retirement has forced many of his opponents to accept the fact that their period is coming to an end. Nadal played a significant role in the send-off given to the Swiss star at the Laver Cup last month.
The Spanish superstar indicated this year that he believed the French Open might be his final competition because of a foot issue, but it appears that he has at least temporarily overcome that issue, and now he is fully focused on turning his misfortunes around.
Uncle Toni recently stood up for his nephew in the midst of the resignation rumor by saying, “I think that as long as he feels he has a chance of winning, he will continue. When he sees that he has no options, if he goes to a tournament and has no chance of winning, I don’t think he will play.”
Right after Roger Federer’s retirement, speculation was growing over Nadal’s doing the same thing, but Mr. Toni assured all that Rafa has a different focus on his career, which can’t force him to give up the sport anytime soon.
To prove this point, Toni Nadal then quoted, “In the end, he has won too much to fold badly. How much time does Rafa have left? I don’t know, it will clearly depend on his rivals, on his body. Rafael plays for him, he doesn’t think about whether Carlos Alcaraz, David Ferrer or even Djokovic is there.”
