Rafael Nadal believes Uncle Toni won’t ‘want him to lose’ during the blockbuster match against his pupil Felix Auger Aliassime at the French Open

Rafael Nadal believes Uncle Toni won’t ‘want him to lose’ during the blockbuster match against his pupil Felix Auger Aliassime at the French Open

Felix Auger Aliassime, Toni Nadal, and Rafael Nadal

It was all business for Rafael Nadal once again at the French Open as the 13-time champion breezed past 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp in the third round of the 2022 French Open. Nadal won the match in straight sets 6-3,6-2,6-4 to advance into the Round of 16 for the 17th time.

Next up, Nadal will face Canadian 9th seed Felix Auger Aliassime in the fourth round on Sunday. Interestingly, Felix is coached by Nadal’s former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal. After his third-round win, Nadal spoke highly about Felix and said that he is currently 4th in the Race to Turin and hence is one of the in-form players on the tour. According to Nadal, playing a good player early in the tournament will most probably be a good test.

“Felix is one of the players in better shape on the tour. He is top 10 player and 4th in the race. Is the round of 16 and I know I have to play high level to keep going. Will be a good test and is what I need,” Nadal said.

FS Video
YouTube video

Also Read: “It’s about biology, not identity” Martina Navratilova takes a strong stand against trans-women induction in tennis, saying it will be the end of women’s sports

Uncle Toni won’t be in Felix’s box during the match against Rafael Nadal

Toni Nadal with Rafa and Felix respectively
Toni Nadal with Rafa and Felix respectively

Speaking about going up against Uncle Toni, Nadal said with certainty that since he is his uncle, he would never want to see Rafa lose. He added that Uncle Toni is a professional and is working with another player, so he won’t be causing any issues. He also said that he doesn’t care whether Uncle Toni is present in Felix’s box or not.

“For me, it’s very simple. He’s my uncle. I don’t think he’ll be able to want me to lose without a doubt, but he’s a professional & he’s with another player. I don’t know what’s gonna happen if he’s gonna stay in the box or not but I don’t care. I have zero problem with that,” he said.

But Uncle Toni had already mentioned that he won’t be sitting in Felix’s box for the match as he doesn’t want to give his pupil any suggestions on how to beat his nephew. “I already told Felix I won’t give him any suggestion on how to beat my nephew,” he said.

Also Read: “I raised my level today”- Alexander Zverev wins through another thrilling encounter with Brandon Nakashima

Also Read: ‘It breaks my heart,’ Novak Djokovic expresses his disappointment in former coach Boris Becker’s arrest, reveals he offered ‘help’ to Becker’s son