Rafael Nadal is a nephew whom Toni Nadal introduced when he was 3 or 4 years old, including teaching him to behave properly on the pitch and always give his best.
After each success, Toni will show a list of the previous champions from a tournament and explain to the Spaniard that many of them are no longer in the tennis world, because they didn’t work hard enough or didn’t get chances.
Putting in 120 per cent of himself in every match regardless of the opponent, the former world number 1 turned professional at the age of 15 and entered the top 200 at the end of the 2003 season.
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In the 2004 season, the young Spaniard defeated world number 1 Roger Federer in Miami and claimed his first career ATP tournament title at Sopot before winning his first Grand Slam title of his career in June 2005 at the French Open.
As tennis connoisseurs know, most of his career has been remarkable and he stands out among the best players with 20 Grand Slam titles and 36 Masters 1000 titles.
Over the seasons, Rafael Nadal has gone through a series of epic fights against Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and every other higher-ranking opponent. He also suffered a bitter defeat and enjoyed a brilliant victory by never forgetting the first teachings of his uncle who was also his coach for quite a long time.
The 13-year-old French Open has never thrown or smashed a racket despite having spent three decades on the court, after he learned how to channel frustration and turn it into strength.
Toni continued to coach the Spaniard until the end of the 2017 season, winning his last Grand Slam title with his nephew at the French Open, and returning to Mallorca to manage his nephew’s tennis academy.
At the age of 35, Nadal is still among the best tennis players in the world. Although he has failed to secure a single Grand Slam title this season and has only played a few tournaments and missed the remainder of the season due to injury, he is still in the top 10.
“Rafa eventually got used to my tennis philosophy, assuming the very high demand I put on him. When he was a kid and we were practicing, I first asked him to smile and be positive. He never throws a racket because it would be frustrating to master it,” explained Toni.
“I’m bothered by complaints and frustrations, considering it started as a personal feeling too much or believing that you can’t fail. I’m doing my best to improve his approach.”
