16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni Nadal has made a surprising claim about his nephew and his arch-rival Roger Federer.
Toni Nadal, who was the mastermind of Rafa’s 14 Grand Slam crowns before deciding to focus his energies on the Rafael Nadal Academy in Majorca, insisted that the former World No. 1s biggest achievement in life isn’t the Major titles he has won. According to him the greatest feat of Rafael’s career has been to stay humble, remain grounded and devoid of any form of arrogance.
Toni also reckoned that despite his great efforts, the academy in Manacor will not be able to produce another Roger Federer because there has been only one Federer in the world and it’s extremely difficult to produce another.
“You always dream of the best,” he told Spanish media outlet El Pais.
“I am aware that it is not easy for a Federer to come from here, because in the world there has only been one.
“But I understand that if we work well we can bear fruit in a few years.”
“I know that when my nephew plays tennis in the final of Roland Garros it is special, because there are many who try and few get there,” he added.
“He also knows that he is a great player, I do not need to flatter him.
“Rafa is a great tennis player, but nothing more. If you think you’re special, you’re essentially silly.”
While Federer will be participating in the Miami Open this week, Rafa is still recuperating from a leg injury, which he sustained at the Australian Open in January. The Spaniard is expected to make his much anticipated comeback at the Monte Carlo Masters in April although recent reports suggest it could happen much earlier in the Davis Cup quarterfinals against Germany in the first week of the aforementioned month.
