“I think he will probably throw himself at it with the same passion as he did any tennis match” – Uncle Toni on Nadal’s future post-retirement

Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, has had as close a look at the Spanish legend as anyone could possibly have. Now with the 22-time Grand Slam champion retiring after an illustrious career that has seen him become one of the sport’s most beloved champions and greatest players, Uncle Toni believes that Nadal will throw himself at whatever he chooses to do next with the same passion as he approached his tennis career.

“I think my nephew will approach his new life with complete normalcy,” Uncle Toni told the ATP Tour in an interview. “I always knew that all sporting journeys have their end. There are no sporting careers that last 100 years. In any case, I think that he has been getting used to the idea over the past few months. Of course, retirement is a difficult time, but I don’t think it will be very difficult to focus on the rest of his life doing other things. I think he’ll probably throw himself at it with the same passion as he did any tennis match.”

the most notable thing, which really pleases me as a relative, is seeing how a boy who had a dream of being a great tennis player and did everything possible without losing his way.

Uncle Toni said he felt happy more than proud about the way his nephew overcame adversity several times while remaining grounded and humble as a person despite achieving incredible success and fame.

“I don’t like the word proud too much,” he said. “I feel very happy about everything that he’s achieved, obviously on court because of everything he won. But, above all, the most notable thing, which really pleases me as a relative, is seeing how a boy who had a dream of being a great tennis player and did everything possible without losing his way. He always kept his feet on the ground. Staying competitive within the limits of correctness. That’s definitely what has pleased me the most. I’ve loved seeing how much people have appreciated that.”

Recalling the best memories of Nadal’s career, Uncle Toni said the process that led him to those innumerable victories was most memorable.

“I’ll remember, of course, the (2008) Wimbledon final, the Roland-Garros finals, the tournaments in Monte-Carlo. But above all, I’ll remember the process that led to Rafael achieving those victories,” he said. “I’ve said to him many times: If you don’t like the process, it’ll be hard for you to like the result. I always placed a lot of value on the process we went through. Since I stopped coaching Rafael, I sometimes remember victories from long ago, but also practice sessions at Club Tenis Manacor, when Rafael was still a boy, trying to improve his forehand and his backhand.”

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