Teachers' Day Special: Toni and Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal of Spain in action as coach and uncle Toni Nadal watches on in a practice session during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 21, 2009 in London, England. (Getty Images)

What would Arjun be without Dronacharya? What would Al Pacino be without Stella Adler? Where would the skill of Rafael Nadal find direction without the overpowering shadow of his uncle Toni?

Let’s face it: Rafa isn’t the most graceful player on tour; he is a machine that delivers. He is like a German car with a bull’s heart. His forehand and backhand have all been designed by one man – Toni Nadal.

It’s strange to imagine that a player, who has ruled the tennis world for eight years, has had the same coach his entire life. The Nadal duo has managed to conquer all four slam territories and most of the silverware tennis has to offer.

Fiercely close, their relationship has been compared to Mike and Andre Agassi, Peter and Steffi Graf and Judy and Andy Murray. However, unlike most others, Toni still physically coaches and moulds Rafa’s game by an unbelievable amount. He can be seen coaching Rafa even during matches, much to the disgruntlement of most of his peers.

Majorca maybe a small place but the Nadals are used to being a part of sporting greatness. Rafa’s uncle, Miguel, played for Spain and for Barcelona. Rafa was naturally a football fanatic, and played football on the streets at every opportunity he would get.

Toni was the head of the local tennis club back then, and Rafa started training when he was five. He originally started tennis just as another sport and would play with the other kids for hours; for fun. It was only when he turned 13 and started touring, that, Toni left public coaching to train his nephew, exclusively.

Toni, as Rafa retells in his autobiography, would single him out. He would make him sweep the courts (clay, naturally) and would use the worst of language with him, being utterly brutal at times. Rafa grew to develop a unique bond of love with his uncle, treating him like a magician, who could make any anything happen. Toni had him convinced that he could be invisible whenever he wanted and that he had superpowers, including the godlike ability to start rainfall at his whim and fancy.

One thing is certain, Rafa would be nowhere without his uncle; both as a person and player. When Rafa was 12, he was offered sponsorship from the Spanish government to play in Barcelona, where the facilities were better. Uncle Toni declined, outright; for in his view, a good player could be raised anywhere.

Rafa was taught to play like a warrior in battle. He was taught to play on the worst of courts, in the worst conditions. The principle was simple: no excuses. His game was engineered to make it technically perfect. Rafa is the best baseliner the world has seen; his closest rivals being Bjorn Borg and Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal (L) hugs his coach and uncle Toni Nadal after defeating Mariano Puerta in their men’s final of the French Open at Roland Garros on 05 June 2005 in Paris. (Getty Images)

When Rafa was six, he found the racket too heavy to lift and would hit with a double-handed grip from both wings. When the time came for him to decide his forehand side, his uncle decidedly pushed him to choose the left wing; it has been one of sports’ greatest decisions.

The tactical genius of it is beyond comprehension. Rafa enjoys the balance a left-hander gets on his right foot, but since he’s naturally right-handed, he counterbalances both sides with equal ease. It is staggeringly hard to wrong-foot the Spaniard.

As well as being tactically solid, Rafa is one of the most humble players on the circuit. He has never been known to make excuses on court (or off it) or demean opponents before or after matches. Not once has the 27-year-old been caught throwing or smashing a racket, forget being called out for racket abuse.

Rafa fights like a terrier, and loses gracefully, the few times he does. But like most people, he enjoys winning. When he plays, he treats the game like a duel for life. He would die on court, but hit the ball for a winner before his heart stops beating. That is the sort of impact his uncle has had on him.

Rumours of a rift between the two did pass from time to time, but even today, the Nadal duopoly is all powerful in the tennis world. Uncle Toni has built a cult following for himself in the circuit, with his signature inscrutable look and a rare smile open for everyone to see.

After Rafa’s first round exit at Wimbledon earlier this year, Toni was spotted acting as a waiter along with Judy Murray (Andy Murray’s mother) and serving lemonade to the camping fans at the All England Club.

“My player played a bad match and lost. I have no more work here. I’m Manuel,” referring to the bumbling Spanish waiter from the classic British sit-com, ‘Fawlty Towers’. Toni’s refused to blame Rafa’s knees for the exit. His logic was simple: if he could win five tournaments with the same knees, he had no business losing.

With 12 Grand Slams and more than 20 Masters under his wing, we shouldn’t feel surprised if he exits the world of tennis with more silverware than his contemporaries from Serbia and Switzerland. Uncle Toni won’t be, and that’s a certainty.