Last Thursday, tennis star Rafael Nadal announced his retirement in an emotional video. However, as Uncle Toni now reveals, saying goodbye at the Davis Cup in Malaga is not the 38-year-old's preferred scenario.
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- Rafael Nadal will play his last tournament of his career at the Davis Cup final in Malaga in November before he finally bids farewell to the big tennis stage.
- However, the Spaniard obviously had a different farewell in mind, as his uncle Toni Nadal reveals: "He would have liked to have had another good season on clay."
- However, the body of the long-time clay court king is no longer playing ball. "When Rafa forces his body, it suffers," says Toni Nadal.
Rafael Nadal draws a line under it. At the age of 38 and after 22 Grand Slam titles, the Spaniard has had enough and will bid farewell to the big tennis stage at the Davis Cup final in Malaga in November. However, Nadal obviously imagined the end of his impressive career differently.
"Rafa didn't say goodbye the way he wanted to," reveals Toni Nadal in an interview with the Spanish newspaper "Marca", adding: "He would have liked to have had one more good season on clay. That means winning or at least putting in a good performance."
The comparison to Federer
But the long-time clay court king's body is no longer playing ball. "The reality is that the last two years have been very difficult. I don't think I've been able to play without restrictions," Nadal clarifies in his retirement message. He missed almost the entire 2023 season with hip problems and only made a few appearances this year.
"It's just that Rafa's body is not responding. When he forces his body, it suffers," notes Uncle Toni and draws a comparison with rival and companion Federer: "The same thing happened to Roger, he tried for two years and then retired."
However, Toni Nadal is not complaining and emphasizes: "I've always told Rafa not to complain, because life has treated us better than we expected." After the last few months and years, that may be easier said than done for his nephew.
