Rafael Nadal’s former coach reveals he ‘would have liked something else’ for retirement farewell
Rafael Nadal had an emotional farewell to professional tennis on Tuesday, but his uncle and former coach has revealed what he thinks ‘would have been more fitting’.
Nadal was part of the losing Spanish Davis Cup team against the Netherlands in Malaga, meaning that it was time for him to officially wave goodbye to the sport that he has enjoyed so much success in over the past 23 years.
After the conclusion of the tie, Nadal addressed the Spanish crowd and received tributes from former rivals including Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in an emotional video.
Despite those scenes in Malaga, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and coach of 27 years, Toni Nadal, told SER radio that he was hoping for a little bit more for his nephew.
“It was certainly emotional with the public’s support,” said Toni Nadal. “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.
“I’m not trying to criticise 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.”
The 63-year-old added, “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.”
Another topic of conversation ahead of the Davis Cup quarter-final was about Rafael Nadal’s participation, with Spanish captain David Ferrer having the dilemma of choosing whether to select him in singles and/or doubles.
Ferrer elected to put Nadal up for singles competition, resulting in a straight sets defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp.
And Toni Nadal claimed that his nephew did not perform to the same level that he has been in recent practice sessions when it came to the match in Malaga.
“I saw him training in Manacor, even playing against [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.” explained Toni 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.”
Toni Nadal continued, “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.”
Although Rafael Nadal’s final appearance for Spain did not go the way he would have liked, the former No.1 finished his career with an impressive 29-2 singles record in the Davis Cup.
Inside the baseline…
Toni Nadal has never been one to mince his words, particularly when it comes to his nephew Rafael Nadal. Perhaps his suggestions would have added to the ceremony, but it does come off a little ungrateful and even more so as he was not there in attendance himself. Nadal has enjoyed so many incredible moments in his career and the noise from the crowd in Malaga just showed how appreciated he is, regardless of the contents of the video footage they showed in the ceremony.
READ MORE – Carlos Alcaraz: Nadal’s legacy is going to be eternal
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