Toni Nadal Reveals Why He Doesn't Give Advice To Nephew Rafael Nadal Anymore
ATP
Toni Nadal used to work with his nephew, Rafael Nadal, as a coach, but he doesn't give the legendary Spaniard any advice anymore.
Statistically, Toni Nadal is the second most successful tennis coach in history, just after Marian Vajda, who enjoyed incredible success with Novak Djokovic.
'Uncle Toni,' as many call him, led his nephew Rafael to 16 Grand Slam titles during their collaboration, which laster over two decades, as Toni started coaching Rafa when he was a kid.
Now, Nadal doesn't work with his uncle as a coach anymore, and during an interview with the Spanish publication Marca, Toni explained why he doesn't give his nephew advice anymore.
The experienced coach explained that while they still see each other a lot, he doesn't think giving Rafael advice would be appropriate, since he has a different coaching team now.
"We usually see each other a lot. Obviously it has changed because I am not in his day to day. I have a normal uncle relationship. It's not up to me, I think it's not appropriate, it's as if Mourinho was making a comment about Real Madrid now."
There have been worries about Nadal's fitness recently, since the only two tournaments he played this year were the United Cup and the Australian Open, where he injured himself.
According to Toni Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion managed to recover since the first Grand Slam of the season, but whether he will be able to stay competitive remains to be seen.
"I think he's much better, but it's unknown. Let's not fool ourselves, when he goes to compete he needs certain guarantees that he can win. I don't think he'll go out and play if he doesn't look I am convinced that it will go well. He is excited."
Currently, the 36-year-old Spaniard is recovering from an injury, and his first two events should be the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters and the 2023 Barcelona Open.
