Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni, has admitted that he never charged his nephew for tennis lessons to avoid complicating their relationship. The 64-year-old coached the ‘King of Clay’ from his formative years up until 2017, and was a huge influence in the Spaniard’s impressive trophy haul of 22 Grand Slams.
And while many coaches of renowned tennis stars, like Nick Bollettieri, Ivan Lendl, and Brad Gilbert have made a living helping their respective players on their rise to superstardom, Toni admitted that he never charged Rafa a single Euro for his services. Speaking to Okdiaro, he explained: “Because I didn’t want to charge for it. I knew that this way, everything would be easier; I could tell him what I thought I should say.”
When asked if he could expand on what he meant, Toni added: “Well…I would have had to be more careful about saying what I wanted to say because ultimately the one who pays does so to hear what they want to hear.” Meanwhile, Rafa himself has previously opened up with his relationship with his uncle, explaining that he used to be terrified of training with him one-on-one due to being put through his paces.
In his 2011 autobiograpy, Nadal explained: “Toni was tough on me right from the start, tougher than on the other children. He demanded a lot of me, pressured me hard. He’d use rough language, shout a lot, he’d frighten me — especially when the other boys didn’t turn up and it was just the two of us.
“If I saw I’d be alone with him when I arrived for training, I’d get a sinking feeling in my stomach. My friend Miguel Angel Munar reminds me sometimes how Toni, if he saw my head was wandering, would belt the ball hard at me, not to hit me, but to scare me, to startle me to attention.
“It was always me, too, who he got to pick up the balls, or more balls than the others, at the end of the training session; and it was me who had to sweep the courts when we were done for the day. Anyone who might have expected any favouritism was mistaken.”
However, Toni has since clarified his reasoning for being so tough on his nephew, explaining that his methodology was a means of achieving greatness. He explained: “I was tough because I believe in toughness not as an end but as a means to achieve things.
“And I was tough because our goal was very high and especially because I had great esteem for him. I would never be tough on someone I didn’t feel great esteem and appreciation for.”
Over the course of his incredible career, Nadal clinched 22 Grand Slams, 36 Masters 1000 titles, five Davis Cups and two Olympic gold medals for Spain – and alongside the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, will go down in the history books as one of the greatest-ever players to hit the courts.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk