“Not Fired”: Rafael Nadal’s Uncle Toni Clears Out the Air Between Their Separation

Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal has been one of the best and most successful player-coach duos in tennis. Just like Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola shared a healthy bond as a player and coach, the pair had terrific communication. Uncle Toni sensed that Nadal could be a great tennis player when he was just three and has guided him ever since. However, when uncle Toni left Rafa’s coaching team, rumors came that Nadal fired him.

In a recent interview, Toni Nadal revealed that his nephew Rafael Nadal never released or fired him. He claimed that all those rumors were completely false and baseless.

“No, I was not fired. But, the truth is that we all know the theory very well and the problem is the application of the theory. I’ve never seen a theory go wrong,” told Toni Nadal in the interview.

(Quotes have been translated)

The theory Toni was referring to was regarding the first part of the question he was asked. The interviewer took the name of Serena Williams‘ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and said that the French coach never hesitated to tell the truth to his players, even if that would have cost him his job.

There was a belief that Uncle Toni didn’t do such things and was not honest with Rafa in order to stay longer with him. However, Toni denied all such allegations and said they were not true.

“In the end, it costs” – Toni Nadal

Toni Nadal extended his argument by claiming that it was not just important to tell the truth to the player but also to everyone else.

“The normal thing would be to tell the truths of the boatman not to the player, but to anyone, but in the end, it costs because the one who pays does it to hear what he wants to hear,” added Toni.

It was unambiguous whether the 59-year-old was blunt and open. He clearly said that most players didn’t want to hear the truth, and the people who criticized the players usually ultimately pay the price.

Rafael Nadal and Uncle Toni

The Uncle-Nephew pair has been a historic pair in the history of tennis. The two have won 16 Grand Slams together, which includes a whopping 10 French Open titles. The duo has even won 30 ATP Tour Masters and 4 Davis Cups.

Recently, it became clear that Toni Nadal would soon be joining FC Barcelona’s board along with Victor Font. Although Rafa supports Real Madrid, he extended his full support to his uncle. The 34-year-old Spaniard even said that he was very close to his uncle even now.

Toni continues to appreciate Nadal too. He recently broke down in tears after watching his nephew winning the French Open Open title for the 13th time. He probably recognizes Rafa and Roger Federer as the two greatest players in the history of tennis.