Rafael Nadal understands that his fourth-round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime will carry additional weight, on top of fighting for a spot in the quarterfinal of the 2022 Roland Garros.
After a subpar European clay-court swing in the build-up to this year's French Open, in which he failed to win a single title on his favorite surface, Nadal has hit the ground running in Paris.
The 13-time champion has defeated Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet, and Botic van de Zandschulp in the first week. He did not relinquish a single set and did not lose more than four games in a set.
His run is starting to resemble his 2020 trophy win, when he went the whole tournament without dropping a set. If he intends to replicate that record, Nadal must first overcome his first acid test at the tournament when he faces Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The Canadian young gun has been a revelation this year, arriving at the clay-court major at a career-high ranking of World No. 9. He has finally ended his long wait for an ATP title after winning Rotterdam earlier this season.
However, the major talking point before the match will be the presence of Toni Nadal on the coaching team of Auger-Aliassime. The legendary Spanish coach is the uncle of Rafael Nadal and has overseen the 35-year-old's rise to stardom for almost two decades.
But since stepping down from coaching his nephew in 2017, he has been working with Auger-Aliassime from 2021. Although Toni was briefed about the possibility of this matchup happening, he didn't see it being a hindrance.
According to Nadal, his uncle will still have a soft spot for him, and he'll be too sensitive to even think of him losing the match, but he is convinced he will act professionally.
"For me it's very simple. Toni is my uncle. I don't think he will want me to lose. But he is a professional and he is working with another player. Don't know if he will be in his box and I don't care. It's not a story at all for me."