"The next day, I lost" - Rafael Nadal shares anecdote with uncle Toni that taught him important lesson in life

Rafael Nadal opened up about an anecdote of his uncle where he revealed that he learned an important lesson. The Spaniard recently retired from his 30 years of legendary career.

Days after his retirement, the player opened up about a lesson he learned from his uncle, Toni, when he was just 12 years old in an essay named 'The Gift' for the Players' Tribune. He recalled the time he went fishing when he should have been training, and lost the match the next day. Following this, his uncle taught him the most important lesson of his life.

"One day, I went out fishing when I could have been training. The next day, I lost my match," said Nadal.

Revealing the important lesson, Nadal added:

"I was crying in the car on the way back home, and my uncle, who at that young age had a big influence on me, and who was the one who made me fall in love with tennis, he said: “It’s OK, it’s just a tennis match. Don’t cry now, there is no point. If you want to fish, you can fish. No problem. But you will lose. If you want to win? If you want to win, then you have to do what you have to do first.”

He further added:

"It was a very important lesson for me. If people see me as a perfectionist, then it comes from that inner voice that was calling to me on the car ride home. The voice has never left me. One day, I can be at the sea. Today, and tomorrow … I have to practice."

Nadal announced his retirement on October 10, 2024, stating that the Davis Cup Finals would be his last tournament. He competed in the tournament in November, where he was bested by Botic van de Zandschulp with a score of 6-4, 6-4.

Rafael Nadal opened up about his loss at the Davis Cup Finals

In the post-match conference, Rafael Nadal spoke about losing the last match of his career and said that it was a full-circle moment for him as he also lost his first-ever match at the Davis Cup Finals. After losing to Van de Zandschulp, he said, as quoted by Olympics.com:

"It's in some ways good if that was my last match, that probably was my last match if nothing happens. I lost my first match in the Davis Cup, and I lost my last one. So we close the circle," said Rafael Nadal.

Nadal also emphasized that he was not in the same form as other players and did not want to criticize himself.

"I knew it could be my last match as a professional, and the emotions were difficult to manage. I wasn’t able to read the game quickly enough to feel in control."

Rafael Nadal is all set to make his first tennis appearance after retirement at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, which is slated for December 18-22, 2024.