Rafael Nadal never took any holiday to miss training discloses former coach Toni Nadal praising his nephew’s unwavering professionalism

Spanish coach Toni Nadal reveals that 22-time Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal never used to take any days off from training in his earlier days.

Toni Nadal with Rafael Nadal. (Via ATP)

Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, has placed high praise on his nephew’s professionalism. For the uninitiated, the Spaniard has been struggling with injuries and has not played on the Tour for nearly a year. However, Toni has said that he used to work really hard when they were a team.

Rafael Nadal has been credited as one of the best tennis players in history. With 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, the Spaniard deserves all the praise he has received. Titled a third of the big three along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal has sustained a truly illustrious career. However, all of this came to an end when he took time off the Tour to get surgery for a prolonged injury, which put him on the sidelines for the majority of the 2023 season.

In an interview with Majorca Daily Bulletin TV, Toni had high praise to bestow upon his nephew.

Rafa's commitment to the sport and its fans has never wavered. When I was his coach, we never missed a day of training, there were no Sundays or Christmas holidays. Rafa has always made great efforts on and off the court.

Toni Nadal said in an interview with Majorca Daily Bulletin TV

Toni Nadal has always been vocal about his thoughts about his nephew. However, Rafa has not been the only player under his tutelage. He has also been the coach for Felix Auger-Alliassime and the director of the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Toni Nadal claims that Rafa hired him as a coach for the sole reason that his uncle would ask for a discounted fee

Interestingly, Toni Nadal made a hilarious claim as to why Rafa had hired him as his coach. According to the Spanish coach, the only reason the 22-time Grand Slam champion hired his uncle was because he was the only coach Rafa could hire.

Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal — Toni Nadal and Rafael Nadal(Image via Tennis Majors)

He said:

The reason why I was during almost 30 years with my nephew is because I was the cheapest coach. With this salary my uncle can stay.

He further joked that it would also be more difficult to sack an uncle than it would be to part with another coach.

Nevertheless, the Toni-Rafa partnership seemed fruitful to both parties. With fifteen Grand Slams, an Olympic gold medal, and four Davis Cup titles, the uncle-nephew duo seemed to be working out pretty well back then. However, they parted ways in 2017, ending a nearly thirty-year partnership. Toni has now moved on to coach Canadian Felix Auger-Alliassime.