Tony Nadal has affirmed this Monday regarding his nephew and former pupil Rafael Nadal that “I would never say of a family member that he is a genius”, despite the fact that many consider the Mallorcan, winner of 21 Grand Slams, the best tennis player in history.
“There are different measures to determine who is number one (of all time),” he said at a press conference after presenting with the tennis player Feliciano Lopez and the promoter Edwin Weindorfer the ATP 250 grass tennis tournaments and the Mallorca Golf Open.
“The one who has played the best in some tournaments, or the one who has played the best for the longest time; the one who has had the most wins. Federer, Djokovic or Nadalwhich is the one that has won the most Grand Slam titles with the least participation. My opinion in any case is not valid because he is my nephewand if I considered that another is the best, I would not say so,” he added.
Toni Nadal was reminded that years ago he defined Federer, who has 20 “greats” like Djokovic, as a tennis genius, and replied that the Swiss “is a guy who has managed to transcend his sport.”
“But apart from that (Federer) has achieved maximum efficiency with super elegance, you can’t ask for more; as for Rafael, obviously, he has also had to modify things, but I think that’s what everyone who does they stay up a long time. It is impossible to stay on top if you are not constantly reconfiguring yourself“, he valued.
Finally, Toni Nadal gave his opinion on the 21 Grand Slams of his nephew and if they were enough to go down in history as the male tennis player with the most “big” titles in history.
“I have no idea, I wish I were. The reality is that it is increasingly difficult to win a Grand Slam because of the age that the three of them are getting. (Federer, Djokovic and Nadal) and for the people who come from below”, concluded Tony Nadal.