“Thank you”, Toni Nadal wrote on Instagram when his nephew Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis on 10 October. One week later, the Spanish coach provided a more in-depth reaction with a three-page post full of emotional messages for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
“There are athletes who, thanks to their huge ability, have managed to become greats in their discipline. Some of them have managed to grow or even transcend their sport, and just a few, because of their attitude and the way they operate, have transcended sport itself and become role models for society,” said Toni in the post.
“I think, without fear of speaking out of turn, and openly accepting any criticism that may come my way after saying this as his uncle, that my nephew, just like his biggest rival for many years, Roger Federer, forms part of the latter category.”
Toni, who coached Rafa from childhood and on the ATP Tour until 2017, is in no doubt about his reasons for his statement. The main one is that his 38-year-old nephew, apart from so much sporting success, has inspired millions of people to never give up, no matter the obstacles in the way.
“Today I can emphatically state that Rafael has fulfilled his promise to me a few years ago in a conversation we had at a club,” said Toni. “I told him that a well-known ex-player had admitted to me how unsatisfied he was with his tennis career. What he sincerely regretted, rather than not winning more titles, was his lack of perseverance.
“Because of my own fears, I urged my nephew never to make that mistake and, with more assurance than I anticipated, Rafael answered: ‘Don’t worry, Toni. When my time comes, I will have the peace of mind that I gave my all’.”
[ATP APP]
The numbers he leaves in his wake show just how true he was to his word. As well as currently being the male player with the second-most Grand Slam titles (only behind Novak Djokovic’s 24), Nadal was No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for 209 weeks and won 92 tour-level titles, as well as 1,092 matches, all despite a long list of injuries.
“Something else happened that allowed him to delay his farewell. He learned for many years to live with pain, he overcame it on many occasions and, despite the doubts and uncertainty, sometimes he was able to come through it not only victoriously, but even stronger,” added Toni in his post.
“In difficult times, I would repeat something to him that I have now written here: ‘Rafael, life has treated us better than we expected and much better than we deserved.’ Rafael’s career has been very successful, far exceeding my expectations, as much as I always had an unwavering faith in him.”
Rafael Nadal most recently compared at the Paris Olympics, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the second round; and on the ATP Tour at the ATP 250 in Bastad, where he lost to Nuno Borges in the final. His last appearance will be at the Davis Cup in November, when he plays in Malaga for Spain.
There, he will put the icing on a stunning career that he began to prepare for with his uncle during his childhood in Manacor.
“Today my mind was filled with nostalgic images, memories, moments I experienced and shared beside Rafael,” Toni also said.
“Everything that has happened between those long-gone years and this end point, from his first wins at the Under-12 and Under-14 tournaments, which gave us a glimpse of what was to come, to his final great triumphs in Melbourne and Paris, is the manifestation of an almost perfect dream.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
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