Uncle Toni on Rafael Nadal: "I am convinced that he can win another Grand Slam"
Uncle Toni trusts his nephewRafael Nadal to have two or three more good years on the tour - and also considers winning a 21st Grand Slam trophy to be realistic.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Oct 08, 2021, 08:00 am
If you take a look at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, you will miss three big names in tennis dearly: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all did not make the trip to the Californian desert and therefore already granted a glimpse into a possibly not too distant future.
If Toni Nadal has his way, his nephew Rafael will be part of this future, at least in the years to come. "In the case of Rafael, I am sure that he still has two or three good years ahead of him. I am convinced that he can win another Grand Slam," said the 60-year-old in a podcast of the " Marca" . The 20-time Grand Slam champion is currently suffering from a foot injury that had already hampered him at the French Open.
Uncle Toni praises Federer and Nadal
With Roger Federer, however, Uncle Toni was not so optimistic: "I think it's more complicated for Federer because he's 40 years old. He has returned from several operations and I don't know whether they went well," he played Coach from Felix Auger-Aliassime on the knee interventions of the Swiss.
Otherwise Toni Nadal only had words of praise for Federer - and also for his nephew: "I could never have imagined that you would achieve as much as you did. Federer, yes, we saw that he was one would be the best in history - because he does everything well. When I saw that Rafael had already won every Grand Slam, I started to believe that he could win a lot and that he could be one of the best players in the world. "
"Federer or Djokovic the best"
However, Toni does not look at his nephew as the best player of all time. It is true that it is only after all three players have retired who can finally say who the "GOAT" is, but: "If you look at the numbers, Federer or Djokovic is the best."
For Toni Nadal, however, it is not yet entirely clear who could mutate from the next generation to the Grand Slam series winner. "I don't know who is the best. Their highest level is very similar. The problem is their low average level. If Medvedev plays well, he's on the same level as Nadal, Federer or Djokovic. If he plays bad, his level drops little more than Novak, Rafael or Roger's. The one who manages to stabilize this will be the best of the group. "
Even in Indian Wells, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Co. could set another fragrance brand - and Uncle Toni could provide a somewhat clearer picture of the next generation of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.