'Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic are great persons' -Uncle Toni
In an interview with NRC, Rafael Nadal's uncle, Toni, praised Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for their great tennis skills but also for being great people. 'Rafael, Djokovic, Federer... They are all great champions', said Toni. 'But for me, it matters that they are normal people. I did not allow Rafa to throw his racket. These things are costy and you do not have to waste the money of your parents or your endorsement. He is not above the rest. I did not need to keep Rafa with feet on the ground, he was doing it himself. Even after winning a tournament again and again. I once asked him: "Do you want to be the number one and be free on Thursday, Friday and Saturday? That's possible, but it will be tough. Do you want to be the number one and leaving the world after every loss? Who knows, you may do it. But it will be tougher.'
For Toni, being humble despite all the success was the key: 'Rafael's dream was to become a top tennis player. But that dream should never hide the reality. We knew that it would take thousands of hours of training. You don't have to be satisfied, never. When, as a junior, he became the Spanish Champion for the first time, I told him: "Rafa, many kids did it and they did not break through. That's only the beginning.'
Nadal is back to practice in Manacor this week and he is set to comeback at the Mubadala Tennis in Abu Dhabi.
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from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2SKxQch
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