Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal have been an unstoppable duo for many years but Uncle Toni has a new protege and it's Felix Auger-Aliassime to which Nadal reacted.
The Nadal duo has been a very successful one as their collaboration yielded many trophies and historic moments. But after some absence, Uncle Tony is back onto the tour to coach Felix Auger-Aliassime through the clay swing. The news created shockwaves prior to the Monte-Carlo Masters and now Rafael Nadal has spoken about it.
When asked about it, Nadal gave a warm response saying it was good for the player and the Academy:
“I am happy for him. At the same time, happy [for the] academy [to] have somebody [working] with such a great player like Felix. [That] is a positive thing. Toni has a lot of experience. He knows a lot about this sport. He has all the knowledge that somebody needs. I am sure that [is] going to be an important help for Felix.”
Uncle Toni won't travel with Felix full time as he is still the director of the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy but Nadal is very supportive of the collaboration.
“I don't have any problem. I always said the same: I want the best for Toni. He's my uncle. I am very grateful for all the things that he did for me. I am happy that he's on the Tour for a couple of weeks.
He also said:
"At the same time, I am happy for Felix. It’s going to be good support, [to] have a great coach like Toni next to him. Happy for me, too. I am happy to see my uncle here, spend time with him here on the Tour again.”