"I knew that this way, everything would be easier": Toni Nadal reveals reason behind not charging nephew Rafael Nadal for tennis lessons

The uncle of former world number one Rafael Nadal, Toni Nadal, has revealed the reason behind not charging his nephew for tennis lessons. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles. He retired from professional sport last year after participating in the Davis Cup.

For most of his career, Nadal was coached by his uncle Toni, who introduced him to the sport as well. Toni was recently quoted in a report by the English media outlet Daily Express, where he revealed the reason behind not charging his nephew for tennis lessons.

"Because I didn't want to charge for it,” he said. “I knew that this way, everything would be easier; I could tell him what I thought I should say. Well...I would have had to be more careful about saying what I wanted to say because ultimately the one who pays does so to hear what they want to hear."

Nadal, who is also regarded as the ‘King of Clay’ after having won 14 French Open titles, a record in the competition’s history, explained in his autobiography, which was released in 2011, how tough his uncle was with him during his early playing days.

"Toni was tough on me right from the start, tougher than on the other children,” wrote Nadal in his biography. “He demanded a lot of me, pressured me hard. He’d use rough language, shout a lot, he’d frighten me — especially when the other boys didn’t turn up and it was just the two of us. If I saw I’d be alone with him when I arrived for training, I’d get a sinking feeling in my stomach. My friend Miguel Angel Munar reminds me sometimes how Toni, if he saw my head was wandering, would belt the ball hard at me, not to hit me, but to scare me, to startle me to attention. It was always me, too, who he got to pick up the balls, or more balls than the others, at the end of the training session; and it was me who had to sweep the courts when we were done for the day. Anyone who might have expected any favouritism was mistaken."