Emotional Rafael Nadal opens up about split with uncle Toni
Rafael Nadal and Uncle Toni have been synonymous with each other for the better part of the two decades. However, the Spaniard's long-time coach recently announced that he would no longer be a part of Nadal's team at the end of the 2017 season.
The split sent shockwaves through the sports world, triggering speculation of a rift between Nadal and his uncle, until the 56-year-old coach revealed he will be joining the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. In 2018, Toni Nadal, who helped his nephew reach the pinnacle of the tennis world, will try to unearth future stars.
Last month, Nadal reached a Grand Slam final for the first time since the 2014 French Open and nearly pulled off major title No. 15 before running into old foe Roger Federer during the finals of the 2017 Australian Open. After dealing with several injuries over the past few years, Nadal is admittedly playing his best tennis in years and would enter May's French Open as the prohibitive favourite to win a record 10th Roland Garros title. Many analysts expect the 30-year-old Nadal to win at least a few more Grand Slam titles before calling it a day, but it would most likely happen without Uncle Toni by his side.
Rafael Nadal was kept unaware of Uncle Toni's plans
“Toni is completely free, like he has always been, to take his own decisions and to choose what makes him happiest. I am comfortable with what he decides is best for him. Probably it’s the moment to focus on other priorities and he said that the academy is one of these ones. It’s a very ambitious project and also we don’t have to forget that he has a family, three kids and two of them play tennis," an emotional Nadal told reporters ahead of the Mexican Open at Acapulco, via news.com.au.
“I feel better when people who I love are happy and if it makes him happy, for me it’s OK. Before being my coach, Toni is my uncle. He has been with me for a lifetime and the relationship with him has been a little bit more special than the one I have with my other uncles because I have lived everyday with him and I am very grateful to him for all the things he did for me," continued the 14-time Grand Slam champion.
Nadal, who recently added former World No. 1 Carlos Moya to his coaching staff, was unaware of Toni's plans since his uncle didn't want him distracted during his run to the final of 2017's first Grand Slam event. “When I travelled to Australia (for Australian Open) I had decided to leave. When I left for Melbourne I did not tell Rafael, but I said goodbye to everyone because I knew it would be the last time I would go there: the driver, the person who looks after us, the director of the tournament....," Uncle Toni told Spanish publication El Espanol, while adding that he regretted the decision to keep Rafael Nadal in the dark about his decision.
Moya is expected to be elevated to the role of head coach, per several reports. Nadal could also look to add other coaches to his team starting 2018. Nadal wills square off with Mischa Zverev during the first round of the ongoing Mexican Open in Acapulco. Zverev had upset Andy Murray during last month's Australian Open.
