Rafael Nadal is not retiring "for now," to overcome Novak Djokovic is "difficult": Spaniard's uncle Toni

Rafael Nadal's retirement, a topic that has been hotly discussed in the tennis media for more than a decade now, is not around the corner anytime soon, according to the Spaniard's uncle Toni.

Toni Nadal coached the 22-time Grand Slam champion right from his childhood and led him to 16 Majors before taking a step back from the role. He is as trustworthy a source as fans can get to weigh in on Rafael Nadal's tennis future.

Touching upon the subject in an educational meeting he attended recently, Toni claimed that his nephew would continue playing for some more time, even if his doctors think otherwise at the moment.

"In his mind he is not retiring for now. Another thing is what the doctors say or that he has more pain than he touches," Toni said, as pieced together from various sources. "The moment is still good and if he is fit, he will continue."

Rafael Nadal began the year as the sole leader in the men's singles Slam race, leading Novak Djokovic 22-21. However, the Serb caught up to him at the 2023 Australian Open, downing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to win his 10th title at the event.

Chiming in on their rivalry, Toni Nadal called it a "complicated" fight, while also admitting that Djokovic would be hard to overcome now given that he is fresher than the 36-year-old. But Toni isn't completely devoid of hope, and he opined that his nephew had enough options at the French Open and beyond to regain his lead over Djokovic.

"In the end it's a complicated fight against a great champion like Djokovic. To overcome Djokovic is difficult because Djokovic is fresher than him," he said. "He will have options at Roland Garros and after France. We'll see."

When asked whether Rafael Nadal still had the same interest in playing given his poor run of form of late, Toni dismissed any concerns and stated that his nephew was only interested in "fighting." Having instilled Rafa with a special kind of perseverance, Toni is certain that he will keep doing that until his last day on the court - irrespective of the fact that he has already secured a place for himself in the history books.

"It is not about winning this or another tournament but about continuing the fight, since what he has left is to continue doing what he wants to do. He likes it and keep fighting, which is what he has gotten used to from a very young age. His career, whatever he does, has been a great career," Toni said. "Now he has to make this last effort to continue, as he has been doing for a long time."

"In Carlos Alcaraz, we have a champion for the following years" - Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni

Mutua Madrid Open - Day Nine

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni also hailed World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, calling him a "champion" for the coming years. However, Toni also pointed out that his nephew, albeit recovering from injury at the moment, was still in the running to carry the mantle for Spanish tennis for some more time.

"[In Carlos Alcaraz], we have a champion for the following years. [But] Rafa Nadal is still there, although we will see what happens when he recovers from the injury,” he said.

Having injured his abdomen during the Australian Open, Nadal will be out of action until mid-March at least. He is expected to return to full action during the clay swing.