Toni Nadal conceded that had a better career than his nephew - but only because of injuries.
Nadal, 38, recently announced he will The Spaniard won 17 of his 22 Grand Slams while under the tutelage of his uncle between 1990 and 2017.
Toni's admission poignantly reflects on what could have been for his nephew, suggesting that without the setbacks of injuries, Rafael would have clinched many more Grand Slams.
There will be no more opportunities for Nadal to bridge the two-grand slam gap that is separating him from his Serbian counterpart. Now that Nadal's career is edging closer to its end, Toni was once again asked to choose between Djokovic and his nephew.
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Toni recently said: "I think my nephew would be the best in history if he didn't have so many injuries. When people ask me who is the best in history, I say, 'The best in history is Djokovic because of everything he accomplished, and the one who played the best tennis is Federer'. But I think my nephew would be the best in history if he didn't have so many injuries."
In response to queries about how he felt regarding Nadal's impending retirement, Toni said: "When something ends, there is always sadness, but I am happy to see Rafael's impact in the of sports. If someone had told me in 2004 that my nephew would retire in 2024 after winning everything he's won, I couldn't have imagined it.
"Rafa won 22 Grand Slam titles during his career, a sporting record for which he often risked his health, even when he was injured. If Rafa didn't sometimes take risks, his trophy cabinet would be much smaller today."
Nadal is set to compete in the high-stakes Six King's Slam event in Saudi Arabia, locking rackets with top players like Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune. Just showing up nets Nadal a cool £1.12million, while the winner will pick up a cheque for £4.5m.
Nadal's journey will continue at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, joining forces with Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista-Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Marcel Granollers. The Spanish team is gearing up to take on the Dutch in the quarter-finals come November 19.
Opening up about his decision to hang up his racket, Nadal shared: "It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But, in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it's the appropriate time to end a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined."
Meanwhile, Djokovic also admitted he was rather emotional about Nadal's retirement, as he is now the last of the "Big Four" after Federer and recent retirements. After his win over Jakub Mensik in the semi-final of the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic said: “We knew that that moment is coming sooner than later but it’s still a shock.
"Also for Roger a few years ago when he announced retirement, and Andy as well this year. It’s a bit overwhelming for me. I don’t know what to make out of it. I still enjoy competing but part of me left with them, a big part of me.”
