“I appreciate the good intentions, but I would have liked something else” : Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni not too impressed by the Davis Cup farewell
Rafael Nadal retired from tennis after his final match in the Davis Cup, where he suffered a loss to the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp as Spain failed to reach the semi-finals of the competition.
While losing his final match was obviously not the highlight, the following ceremony for one of the greatest players the sport has ever come across was also lackluster at best, as fans heavily criticised how the farewell was organised on various social media platforms, despite many important people who have been there for the Spainard throughout his career present in the stands like his family and parents. His biggest rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were also featured in a tribute video for him.
But his uncle Toni, who was not present there due to some work he was upheld with in Rome, recently came out and addressed how the whole ceremony did not do justice to the veteran’s career.
Toni Nadal would have liked the ceremony to be a bit more grand
Toni, who was also Rafael’s former coach, spoke to El Larguero and revealed his unhappiness with the way the whole event was conducted.
“It was emotional, obviously, with the support of the public. But I particularly like that there are images. I would have liked to see images of Rafael’s matches at the Davis Cup in Seville, in Madrid, at Roland Garros, Wimbledon… I think it creates more emotion,” Toni explained.
“I don’t want to criticize anyone, I would have liked a slightly different event. I appreciate the good intentions, but I would have liked something else,” the former coach added.
Toni also mentioned how he would have added more musical effects and images everywhere which would have enhanced the whole farewell altogether and that would have made it much more emotional.
“Nowadays you can do much more emotional events by mixing music with images,”
“Rafael is a guy whose images convey passion. If they had put some images of this, it would have been more up to par, but I appreciate the intention,” the 63-year-old explained.
Reports have been leaked that the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s farewell was initially planned for 22 November, as Spain’s early exit in the tournament was not taken as a consideration. Perhaps a few more days would have been enough for the ceremony to be better, or maybe even on the level of Roger Federer’s retirement in the 2022 Laver Cup, where emotions were running high all the time.
While the Davis Cup might not have done justice to the Spainard’s legendary career, it can be said without a doubt that no event however much grand, would have made any difference. Tennis fans and talented youngsters worldwide will always remember the name Rafael Nadal as an icon and inspiration, and in the end that is what matters the most.
