Toni Nadal did not like the ceremony honoring his nephew

Since midnight on Tuesday, Rafael Nadal is no longer a tennis player. The surprise defeat of the Spaniards against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup precipitated the retirement of the man with 22 Grand Slam titles. The tennis legend, aged 38, was logically entitled to a ceremony following the doubles defeat of his teammates. Stunned under his cap, the king of Roland-Garros spoke shortly after midnight for a final farewell at the end of a fairly sober ceremony. Too much for many.

Asked in the El Largurero podcast, Rafa's uncle and former coach Toni did not hide his disappointment. “This ceremony was not up to par. It was obviously emotional with the support of the public. But I would have liked to see images of Rafael winning the Davis Cup in Seville, of Rafael at the Madrid tournament, of Roland Garros or of Wimbledon, because that creates more emotion. I don't want to criticize anyone. I would have liked something different, at the peak of his career. I'm grateful as a family member and as Rafael's ex-coach for the gesture and the good intentions, but afterward, well, I would have liked something else. Today, we can do much more emotional acts by mixing music and images, and Rafael is a man whose images transmit passion and emotion. If they had done that, it would have been more appropriate.” Detained in Madrid that evening,Rafael Nadal's uncle had planned, like many others close to Rafa or like Novak Djokovic, to go to Malaga during the weekend. A missed appointment.

Regarding her nephew's retirement, Toni added: “We all knew this day had to come. Given how the last few months have gone, we could already see that things weren't going well and I think Rafael made the most appropriate decision. It's true that a lot of people said it took a long time. And that's because he had gotten used to pushing through everything, his matches, his recoveries… and he thought his body would work for him. This time it wasn't the case and he did what he had to do. I can’t see anyone who does something they love retiring this early.”

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