"Hard to retire winning like Pete Sampras" - Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni speculates where the Spaniard could finally hang up his racquet

Rafael Nadal's uncle and former coach Toni Nadal recently speculated on the destination where the Spaniard will bid his goodbye to tennis.

Nadal has been dominating the sport for nearly two decades. Having said that, the 36-year-old's retirement speculations have also been on the horizon since his arch-rival Roger Federer retired in 2022.

Despite dealing with a slew of injuries, the Spaniard himself has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to retire and that he will let everyone know when the time comes.

His uncle Toni recently shared his thoughts on his nephew's retirement destination with Marca, saying that he believes it will be either Roland-Garros or the Madrid Open. He went on to say that it's difficult to think about retiring after winning a trophy, something very few players like Pete Sampras have done.

"In Madrid or at Roland Garros. The time will come and he will decide. When you lift trophies you convince yourself that you still have something to give. It's hard to retire winning. I think Sampras did," he said.

The Spaniard also revealed that he hasn't had any conversations with the 22-time Grand Slam champion about his retirement.

"I haven't talked about Rafa about that. I don't know how much he has left. If he recovers well completely, let him keep playing and we'll see," he added further.

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"It's also not something he's too worried about" - Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni on the Spaniard falling out of ATP Top 10

Rafael Nadal pictured at the 2023 Australian Open - Day 3.

Rafael Nadal’s absence from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells saw the 22-time Grand Slam champion slip out of the top 10 for the first time in his career since 2005.

The Spaniard was forced to withdraw from the Masters 1000 event in California, where he reached the final last year, as he is recovering from the hip injury that ended his Australian Open title defense in the second round in January.

Unable to defend his 600-point lead from Indian Wells, the Mallorcan fell four places to 13th in the rankings, bringing an end to his record-breaking 912-week stay in the top 10.

In light of this, Toni Nadal stated that he foresaw it happening because a player must play consistently to be in the top 10, which his nephew was unable to do. At the same time, he maintained that the 14-time French Open champion wasn't "too worried" about it.

"He is aware that to be in the top ten you have to play constantly. I knew this was going to happen. It's also not something he's too worried about," he said.

"The important thing is that when he goes out to play he feels convinced that he can win and he is on the way to achieving it, knowing that things are more difficult every year," he added.

The 36-year-old is hoping to make a comeback at the Monte-Carlo Masters, a tournament he missed in 2022 for the first time in his career due to a rib injury. The Spaniard has won the Masters 1000 title 11 times.