Rafael Nadal’s coach and uncle Toni Nadal has said he will no longer accompany the tennis great on tour, complaining that he is being shut out of decision-making.
“From next year I will no longer follow Rafael on the circuit and I will focus exclusively on our (tennis) academy,” he was quoted as saying on the Italian website tennisitaliano.it.
“Relations with my nephew are still excellent. During all these years, we have never been through a crisis,” he said.
“Until he was 17 years old, it was me who decided everything. Then Carlos Costa arrived as manager. Then his father became closer, each having his opinions.
“And the truth is that every year I had less decision-making, until the day when I will decide on nothing.”
Spain’s Carlos Moya joined the Nadal coaching team at the end of last year.
Earlier this month, Toni took everyone by surprise — especially Rafael Nadal — when he announced that 2017 will be the last year of his coaching association with his nephew.
At the time, rumours emerged that a possible rift between the relatives had caused the split but Toni soon cleared it up to confirm that he was doing so in order to join the coaching staff of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain from 2018 in order to help recognise and develop young talent.
Toni’s initial announcement of splitting from Nadal came as a shock because no one expected it, least of all Rafa.
And it was by design since Toni did not want to distract his nephew’s successful run to the Australian Open final in January.
Having come through several injuries in the last few years, Rafael Nadal made the final of a Major for the first time since the 2014 French Open but lost out to long-time rival Roger Federer in a bid for a 15th Grand Slam title.
Confronted with the news after the Open, Nadal seemed to take it on the chin.
