"My opinion is not valid because Rafael Nadal is my nephew, and if I considered that another is best, I would not say so"- Uncle Toni on GOAT debate

Rafael Nadal's former coach Toni Nadal has refused to throw his weight behind a single player in the GOAT debate, insisting that his opinion is not valid since he is the uncle of one of the contenders.

Rafael Nadal reignited the GOAT debate after lifting his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month, edging past Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam race. Given his terrific record at the French Open, the Spaniard is being heavily tipped to increase his tally to 22 in Paris later this year.

With Djokovic's participation at Grand Slams under threat due to his vaccination status and Federer battling injuries, Nadal could put plenty of distance between him and his rivals in the GOAT race over the rest of the season.

Toni Nadal, on his part, feels that everyone has different criteria to determine the GOAT. According to the Spaniard, some people might place more importance on Grand Slam victories while others value longevity.

Toni Nadal and Rafael Nadal at the French Open 2017

"There are different measures to determine who is number one (of all time). The one who has played better in some tournaments, or the one who has played better for a longer time; the one who has had more victories. That is up to everyone's taste; depending on what you look at, they can be Federer, Djokovic, or Rafael, who is the one who has won the most Grand Slam titles with less participation," Uncle Toni was quoted as saying by Marca.

"My opinion [on the GOAT debate], in any case, is not valid because he is my nephew, and if I considered that another is the best, I would not say so... I would never say of a relative that he is a genius," added the 60-year-old.

Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal parted ways in 2017 after winning 16 Grand Slam titles together.

Toni Nadal believes Rafael Nadal has compensated for less physicality with a more well-rounded game

Spain's Toni Nadal with Rafael Nadal

Toni Nadal also spoke about the evolution of his nephew's game over the years. According to Toni, Rafael Nadal's game is a "little less" physical right now due to him being 35 years old. However, he feels the 21-time Slam champion has developed other aspects of his game to compensate.

"He has changed, the same as Federer. If you run a little less you know you have to shorten the points. The level of Rafael's game between 2008 and 2010 was very high. Today he has a little less physicality, of course , but his game is more complete, he now serves much better," said Toni.

Nadal has confirmed his participation at the Indian Wells Masters next month. He is also expected to feature at the Acupulco Open, where he is a three-time champion.

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