Toni Nadal confident nephew Rafael Nadal can win French Open but admits longevity taking its toll: "Rafa has been on Tour since he was 16 years old"

Rafael Nadal has been a tennis player for a long time and his uncle Toni believes that longevity is slowly starting to catch up with him lately.

Nadal's tennis was never the type of tennis that is easy on the body as his playstyle is very physical where he uses a lot of power. Clay tennis is generally tough on the body and he's played a lot of clay tennis over the years. It's been crucial to his success but also it's a detriment in a way, especially now in the later stages of his career.

His uncle Toni revealed to Vanity Fair that he believes it's starting to catch up with his nephew:

"Rafa has been on Tour since he was 16 years old and he is paying the price for that. It's many years of hitting balls at a high intensity. But I am confident he can win the French Open this year, and then we will see."

As you can see he still believes that Nadal will win the French Open but would not comment further one. Earlier this year, Alexander Zverev surprised many by claiming that Nadal will win the French Open and then retire.