Tony Nadal: “I’m glad that people appreciated Rafael as the right person” | ATP Tour

End of Nadal’s career

Toni Nadal: “I’m glad that people appreciated Rafael as the right person”

Tony reflects on his nephew’s figure

November 25, 2024

Protected by an eternal visor and watching from a distance, Toni Nadal is a key figure in understanding the current era of professional tennis. The Spaniard, uncle and long-time coach of former world number one Rafael Nadal, played a fundamental role in creating one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of the sport. Using tenacity, common sense and perseverance, the current director of Movistar’s Rafa Nadal Academy reflected on his nephew’s professional retirement in a conversation with ATPTour.com.

“A few months ago Rafael told me that he plans to retire. I wanted to do it in Malaga during the Davis Cup. Apparently this was more or less the intended theme. We knew that sooner or later this decision had to come. “I found out about it a few months ago because Raphael came to tell me.”

The outcome of Nadal’s athletic career has become one of the biggest news stories of the year in the world of sports, a reality with a social impact that cannot be ignored. From his most passionate fans to his greatest rivals, such is the significance of this figure, they all agree on one conclusion: with Nadal’s retirement, a phase of their lives ends.

How does Tony feel? What taste does a career that exceeds your expectations leave in your mouth?

“I don’t really like the word proud,” Tony says, humility laced in every word. “I’m very happy with everything he’s achieved and obviously everything he’s won on the track. But above all, what is most remarkable and satisfying for me as a member of the family is to see how a boy who dreamed of becoming a great tennis player did his best without ever losing his way. Without ceasing to keep your feet on the ground. Always maintaining competitiveness within the limits of correctness. This is obviously what made me the most happy. I was glad to see how much people appreciated it.”

A few weeks ago, Carlos Moya said that Nadal could leave without any reproach, confident that he gave everything every day of his career. This constant state of being demanding of oneself, from training to pure competition, is a reality that Tony agrees with. Having seen Rafa grow from the very beginning to become a figure everyone admires.

“It would have been better if he hadn’t left with his head held high,” admits Tony, who gave all the early advice and witnessed much of the effort that built his film career. “After everything he achieved, working there for many years, he earned the respect of the vast majority of people. He left a pleasant aftertaste in all the tournaments he participated in. I think he obviously leaves with his head held high.”

Nadal’s final months were a coexistence with an inevitable outcome: the final steps of his sporting career were written in golden letters. This path, after a series of triumphs for the legend, a body worked to the limit for years, set the time on the track. A reality that Toni observed from a short distance.

“Of course, I saw him suffer. But I was so used to seeing him suffer so many times throughout his tennis career,” he explains. “On many occasions he had difficult injuries, injuries that seemed like they were going to affect him, and he even enjoyed continuing to play. Since I’m so used to it, I wasn’t surprised to see him suffer a little at the end. The truth is that even seeing how he suffers, I think Raphael has nothing to complain about because life has treated him very well.”

Now, after two decades of becoming a global sporting icon, Nadal is set to retire from the courts. Once the legend is written, the legacy begins to unfold. This journey without the routine of life opens a new chapter. And Tony hopes that his nephew will accept it as he would any other stage of his career: with absolute naturalness.

“I think my nephew will face the next day completely normally. He always knew that every sporting beginning has an end. There is no sports career that lasts 100 years. In any case, I think that in recent months he has been mastering this process. Obviously, retirement is a difficult time, but I think you won’t have much trouble focusing the rest of your life on other things. I think he will probably commit himself with the same enthusiasm with which he approached any tennis match.”

Once the book is written, pages to remember accumulate in the mind of the coach who has experienced the dream moments. Situations recorded on the retinas of fans that Tony experienced first-hand. Among the collection of memories from the bench are details that will never be forgotten.

“Of course, I will remember the Wimbledon final (2008), the Roland Garros final, the tournaments in Monte Carlo. But above all, I think I will remember the process that led Raphael to achieve these victories. I told him many times: if you don’t like the process, you’re unlikely to like the result. I have always attached great importance to the process we went through. Since I stopped coaching Rafael, I gradually remember various victories, as well as training at the Manacor Tennis Club, when Rafael tried to improve his forehand and backhand as a child.”