Gala Leon Garcia Responds to Rafael Nadal’s Coach: “I Am Not Here To Star In A Sexist Debate”

Gala Leon Garcia is taking the high road in the controversy involving Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s coach and uncle.

The appointment of Leon Garcia as the new Davis Cup captain of the Spanish team drew mixed reactions from the tennis world. Particularly, that of Nadal, who said that he prefers someone with a background in the world of men’s tennis.

The statement turned into a controversy overnight with a number of people criticising Nadal for what is perceived to be a sexist comment.

Leon Garcia had a few choice words for the 53-year-old Nadal and it came off as simple yet classy.

"Everybody should be responsible for what they say. I am not here to star in a sexist debate, but rather to give some hope to the Spanish team and possibly bring the Davis Cup back in Spain,”Leon Garcia, who was assigned the Spanish team captain post, said on Tuesday.

"I have a good relationship with all the Spanish tennis players,” Garcia added, virtually stopping what could be a full-blown man-versus-woman debate.

Rafael Nadal was not part of the Spanish national team late in the season as the world no. 2 player suffered an assortment of injuries including hurting his wrist that caused him to miss a number of tournaments including the 2014 US Open.

The 40-year-old Leon Garcia replaced previous coach and former player Carlos Moya as the Davis Cup captain. With Moya, Spain was relegated to Group I in Davis Cup play after a shocking loss to Brazil in the World Group play-off earlier in September 2014.

Leon Garcia is a former tennis player with a career record of 277 wins against 224 losses. She had 1 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title and 6 International Tennis Federation (ITF) titles. Her career-high in the women’s singles WTA rankings was no. 27 on Sept. 25, 2000.