Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni unsatisfied with Spaniard's Davis Cup Finals farewell: "I would have liked a different event"

Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni wasn’t too impressed by the Spaniard’s 2024 Davis Cup Finals farewell ceremony. While the former coach appreciated the intention, he was disappointed by the seeming lack of grandeur.

Nadal retired from tennis on Tuesday, November 19, following team Spain’s quarterfinal loss to the Netherlands at the ongoing Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. He took the court against Botic Van de Zandschulp in what was his career’s final match. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was beaten by his Dutch opponent 6-4, 6-4.

Rafael Nadal was honored in front of his home crowd following the tie. His family, including his wife Maria, two-year-old son, sister Maribel, and parents, were in the stands. The Spaniard’s teammates, including Carlos Alcaraz, sat beside him as he bid farewell to tennis. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray also appeared in a video tribute, and his compatriot, David Ferrer, shared heartfelt words on the court.

Uncle Toni, though, remained absent. As conveyed earlier, he had some commitments in Rome. He, however, seemingly watched everything unfold from afar. Speaking to El Larguero, the Spanish coach said:

"It was emotional, obviously, with the support of the public."

However, he was unhappy with the lack of visuals and felt the ceremony didn’t do justice to Rafael Nadal’s legendary career.

"But I particularly like that there are images. I would have liked to see images of Rafael’s matches at the Davis Cup in Seville, in Madrid, at Roland Garros, Wimbledon… I think it creates more emotion," he said (Translated from Spanish).

"I don’t want to criticize anyone, I would have liked a slightly different event. I appreciate the good intentions, but I would have liked something else," uncle Toni added.

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Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni: "Nowadays you can do much more emotional events"

The veteran (L) pictured with his Davis Cup teammates - Image Source: Getty

According to Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni, adding some emotional audio elements would have elevated the experience.

"Nowadays you can do much more emotional events by mixing music with images," he said during the same conversation.

"Rafael is a guy whose images convey passion. If they had put some images of this, it would have been more up to par, but I appreciate the intention," he added.

It should be noted that Spain’s quarterfinal exit was unexpected as reports emerged that Rafael Nadal’s farewell ceremony was originally planned for Friday, November 22.

Spain trailed against the Netherlands 0-1 after the veteran’s loss. Carlos Alcaraz competed in the second fixture, eventually leveling the score with a 7-6(0), 6-3 victory against Tallon Griekspoor. However, the 21-year-old was unable to replicate the result in the deciding doubles match. He and Marcel Granollers suffered a loss to Wesley Koolhof and Van de Zandschulp 7-6(4), 7-6(3).

It was reported that several players, including Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, were poised to attend Friday’s farewell, if Spain had advanced to the semifinals. However, the result prompted the organizers to reschedule the event to Tuesday, and many prominent figures missed out.