WATCH: "I hope that you cannot beat Rafa or Felix" - Toni Nadal congratulates to Tsitsipas very uniquely

Sunday, 26 June 2022 at 12:00

Updated at Thursday, 14 November 2024 at 13:33

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byNurein Ahmed

Toni Nadal recently congratulated Stefanos Tsitsipas after winning the 2022 Mallorca Championships and wished him to do well at Wimbledon but with a caveat.

Tsitsipas defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets on the Spanish island to win his first-ever title on grass. The grass-court wing is normally the shortest on the ATP Tour, and tennis players only get a handful of opportunities to refine their game before Wimbledon.

The grass-court major requires players with a vast skillset and incredible adaptability to excel. Tsitsipas couldn't have asked for a timely title win after stumbling in both Stuttgart and Halle.

During the trophy presentation, Toni Nadal was present and praised the Greek. He referred to him as "one of the favorites" for Wimbledon despite Tsitsipas' poor record at the tournament.

However, the 61-year-old told Tsitsipas that his success at the Championships should not come at the expense of either Rafael Nadal or Felix Auger-Aliassime but backed him to beat the defending champion Novak Djokovic, who is the oddsmakers favorite for the title.

Toni Nadal is Rafael Nadal's uncle. He coached the 22-time Grand Slam champion to stardom until he chose to step down a few years ago. Now, he is working with Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, and therefore, he always wants those two to do well at any tournament over any other player.

"Congratulations, Stefanos, you play very well on this surface. I am sure you are one of the favorites for Wimbledon. I hope you don't beat Rafael [Nadal] or Felix [Auger-Aliassime]. But try to beat Djokovic."

— Toni Nadal's speech during the trophy presentation

The Greek enjoyed a great week at the Mallorca Championships, where he became the first player in the last five years to win a title on all surfaces. Heading to Wimbledon, the fourth-seeded Tsitsipas will kick off his tournament against the Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard.