The uncle of Rafael Nadal has insisted he isn’t criticizing Davis Cup organizers despite saying he ‘expected more’ for his nephew’s retirement ceremony.
On Tuesday the 22-time Grand Slam champion played the final match of his career during Spain’s tie with the Netherlands. Nadal lost his final match in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp before his team was knocked out of the tournament, which is being held in Malaga. After the tie finished, a special on-court presentation took place which featured a video tribute from some of his rivals. The former world No.1 also spoke to the crowd saying he wishes ‘to be remembered as a kid that achieved more than he ever dreamed.’
However, the ceremony wasn’t a hit with Uncle Toni, who didn’t attend due to ‘work commitments’ but watched it on TV. Toni introduced Nadal to tennis and was his long-time coach until 2017.
“It was certainly emotional with the public’s support. I like to see images of these events, I would have liked to see images of Rafael winning the Davis Cup in Seville, of Rafael at the Madrid tournament, at Roland Garros or Wimbledon, because this creates more emotion,” Punto de Break quoted Toni as saying during an interview with El Larguero on SER radio.
“I’m not trying to criticize anyone. I would have preferred something different, more in line with his career. I appreciate the gesture they had as a family member and former coach of Rafael, and the good intentions, but afterwards, I would have liked something else.
“Nowadays, much more emotional events can be organized by mixing music with images, and Rafael is a person whose images convey passion and emotion. If they had done this, it would have been more fitting.”
Not afraid to mince his words, Toni also spoke frankly about Nadal performance in his last match which he rates at a lower level than what he has recently shown during practice. Something he links to a combination of factors.
“I saw him training in Manacor, even playing against Bautista (Roberto Bautista Agut) and some others on the circuit. The truth is that my nephew was playing at a very acceptable level, taking sets from these players, and David Ferrer must have thought the same.” Toni said of Nadal.
“In the end, what usually doesn’t happen often happened: Rafael used to play better in matches than in practice. This time, it was the opposite. Between the emotions, the lack of matches…
“It were an individual tournament, I wouldn’t have suffered much, but being for the Spanish team, I suffered watching his match and the doubles match because it meant defeat, it meant that Rafael’s point would have been important. It feels worse because you are defending your country and this time it didn’t work out. There, the activity of his legs was lower, and when that happens, everything declines a bit, you hit the ball a bit later, it causes less damage to your opponent.”
Nadal ends his career with 92 ATP titles to his name with 63 of those being won on the clay. He has also spent 209 weeks as world No.1, registered 186 wins over top 10 players and holds the record for most continuous weeks inside the world’s top 10 (912 weeks).
It is expected that the 38-year-old will continue his involvement in tennis through his academy which was established in 2016 in Manacor and has since expanded globally.
