As the tennis world continues to speculate about the retirement of Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard's uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, has shared his thoughts on the matter.
In an exclusive interview with Marca, Toni Nadal revealed that he doesn't speak to his nephew about his game anymore and that he envisions the 36-year-old Nadal's farewell taking place at either the iconic Roland Garros or the esteemed Madrid Open.
During the interview, Toni Nadal reflected on the rarity of players retiring on a high note, as Pete Sampras did after winning his final Grand Slam at the 2002 US Open.
However, for a professional athlete it may be difficult to retire when still winning Grand Slams, as everyone wants to push the bar even higher, especially Nadal, who is still in a direct fight for the most Grand Slam titles won with his rival Novak Djokovic. Speaking about Nadal's retirement, Toni remarked:
"In Madrid or at Roland Garros. The time will come and he will decide. When you lift trophies you convince yourself that you still have something to give. It's hard to retire winning. I think Sampras did."
Although Toni has not discussed retirement plans with his nephew, he expressed his desire for Rafael to continue playing if he can fully recover from his injuries. That's questionable as of now, but the Spaniard is certainly doing everything possible to return to the tennis court as soon as possible.
"I haven't talked about Rafa about that. I don't know how much he has left. If he recovers well completely, let him keep playing and we'll see."
Currently, the Spaniard is recovering from an injury that kept him out of the Sunshine Double and he should return to the ATP Tour during the European clay-court swing as he signed up to compete in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
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