Toni Nadal confirms he won’t be present at Rafeal Nadal’s retirement ceremony

Rafael Nadal will be playing his last ATP event at the Davis Cup later this year, with his entirely family scheduled to be in Malaga.

Toni Nadal confirms he won’t be present at Rafeal Nadal’s retirement ceremony

Toni Nadal and Rafael Nadal (via X)

Rafael Nadal will end his professional career at the conclusion of this year’s Davis Cup Round of 16 in Malaga. The Spaniard’s availability for the singles and doubles matches is still unconfirmed.

Regardless, Nadal’s entire family will be present in Malaga to bid him a final farewell. However, one notable absentee will be Rafael’s uncle and long-term coach, Toni Nadal.

YouTube video

I will not be able to be there on those days because I have work, I have to go to Rome.

Toni Nadal said on Relevo

Toni and Rafael have shared a special relationship since the early years of Rafael’s career. Toni played a crucial role in Rafael’s impressive achievements in professional tennis before they parted ways in 2016.

FS Video

Rafael eventually hired Carlos Moya as his new head coach, who stayed with him until his retirement. Meanwhile, Toni began coaching Felix Auger-Aliassime and is now the permanent director of the Rafa Nadal Academy.

ATP Finals set to feature without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the ATP Finals marks a major shift. For the first time in many years, none of the “Big Three” — Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal — will be part of the tournament. Federer has retired, Nadal is planning to retire, and now Djokovic is missing this year. This absence breaks a long tradition at the event.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (via Tennis Majors)

The last time the ATP Finals happened without any of them was in 2001, 23 years ago. Back then, the tournament was called the Tennis Masters Cup. The competition in Sydney that year still had a strong lineup. Almost all the players were past or future Grand Slam champions.

In 2001, Andre Agassi, Gustavo Kuerten, Goran Ivanisevic, and Lleyton Hewitt were among the brig names. These four had each won a major title that season. Other top players like Pat Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and Juan Carlos Ferrero were also in the field. Sebastien Grosjean was the only player who never won a Grand Slam.

Hewitt claimed the title in front of his home fans. He had a dominant run, beating Agassi and Rafter in the group stage and coming back to defeat Grosjean. Hewitt then beat Ferrero to reach the final, where he secured victory over Grosjean with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.