This Tuesday the Mutua Madrid Open said goodbye to Rafael Nadal with a great tribute after he lost to Jiri Lehecka in two hours and two minutes, This being the last time the capital tournament will be played. The Caja Mágica devoted itself to the tennis player and now, his uncle and former coach, Tony Nadalwanted to speak in Public mirror about how he experienced that moment and how he sees his nephew looking forward to the upcoming tournaments.
“It has been many years of the whole family experiencing his emotions,” Toni began by saying about how they have experienced their farewell. Likewise, his former coach, visibly excited and with a broken voice, assured that “here begins the full stop.”
Toni Nadal highlighted that Rafa has achieved so many sporting successes thanks to his fighting ability: “I have seen him suffer on numerous occasions, sometimes leaving the court half lame, with problems in a foot, a knee, but he has always kept his spirits up and his desire to fight. And I think this is what is remarkable about his sporting successes. From his way of approaching the sport, I consider that he is always correct and this is what he is going to leave behind.”
Likewise, he spoke about what the Madrid Masters 1000 has meant for the Spaniard: “He knows how the public here has treated him. For him it has been a great pleasure to play here and a great honor to note the support and affection of a large part of the Madrid public.”
Finally, Rafa’s uncle spoke about how he sees his nephew ahead of playing what has been the most important tournament of his career, Roland Garros: “He has surprised me so many times, believing that he couldn’t play and that later I made the last effort and I trust that it will be so. It is very difficult to do a great role there and win, but you have to go with the hope of trying again.”
