‘I Demanded a Lot From Rafa’- Toni Nadal Accepts He Was Hard on Rafael Nadal in His Early Age

Rafael Nadal has been making all the headlines ever since his record-breaking feat at the Australian Open 2022. The Spaniard defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the summit clash to lift his second Grand Slam Down Under. By doing so, he became the first man in history to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles. He leads Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in this race. The two are tied at 20 Grand Slam titles apiece.

Further, his come-from-behind victory has been the talk of the town lately. People have been in awe of his performance on the court. Additionally, social media was buzzing with praises for the Spaniard for his grit and determination. His fellow players and past legends of the game appreciated his effort and congratulated him on his record-breaking feat. Recently, his uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, has opened up on what shaped the Spanish legend’s career.

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Toni Nadal reveals the success story of Rafael Nadal

Nadal’s former coach has disclosed how he trained the young Spaniard. He said, “I demanded a lot from Rafael because I cared a lot. I believe in the work and I believe in the players who are strong enough to cope with the intensity of this work. I cannot understand another style of life. In my opinion, you always have to know your place in the world. This is why I was like this with Rafael. I knew he could cope. I was hard on him, but not strict, and I was tough for his greater good.”

The former coach admitted that he saw a spark in a three-year-old Nadal which was different from other kids. He said, “When I hit the ball to Rafael, he went towards it. He didn’t wait for the ball to arrive to him. Normally, when I sent a ball to a small kid, he stood and waited until the ball arrived at him. But my nephew, he went looking for it. For me, this was special.”

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Nadal has had a dream start to the 2022 season. His amazing form has resulted in him winning the Melbourne Summer Set and Australian Open titles. He would be eager to continue his winning momentum in the coming tournaments. The Spaniard will next be seen in action at Abierto Mexicano in Acapulco, Mexico which is an ATP 500 tournament.