Uncle Toni reveals why Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal continue to play

Rafael Nadal's uncle and former trainer, Toni Nadal, spoke to Spanish journalist Emiliano Numia's podcast, Super Deportivo, where he discussed the amazing rivalry between his nephew and Roger Federer.

They have played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading the head to head 24–16. Their most recent encounter was in the semifinal of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships where Federer defeated Nadal in four sets. Of their 40 matches, 20 have been on hard court (14 of them in outdoor hard court and 6 on indoor hard court), 16 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass.

Federer leads on hard court (11–9), grass (3–1), and indoor hard court (5–1). Nadal leads on clay (14–2) and outdoor hard court (8–6). Nadal leads 14–10 in finals. A total of 14 matches have been in Grand Slams with Nadal leading 10–4. Nadal leads 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at Wimbledon. The two have yet to meet in the US Open.

“They were both very influential in (tennis) world. When the meeting between them ends, there is no hatred or anything. Both Rafa and Roger put this into practice and their relationship outside the courts is very good!" - Toni explained. “Rafa still has three or four more years of good tennis, if the injuries do not attack much and if he continues with the motivation he has shown throughout his career.

I know my nephew and I know he is on the circuit playing for playing. He has a winning mindset. With Federer it's exactly the same. He continues to play because he believes he can win important titles" - he added.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2zzofjV