Uncle Toni praises Rafael Nadal for incredible comeback at AO 22 final, says other players "tend to surrender to frustration" 

Toni Nadal recently expressed his views on nephew Rafael Nadal's comeback during the 2022 Australian Open final from a two-sets-to-love deficit to clinch his second title in Melbourne.

The Spaniard defeated World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the summit clash, registering a 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory. The encounter marked the first time since 2007 that the World No. 5 has won a match after having dropped the first two sets.

In a recent interview with Movistar, Toni hailed the 35-year-old's comeback in the high-stakes match. The Spaniard claimed that unlike most players, his nephew refused to "surrender to frustration" to eventually snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Toni also lavished praise on the World No. 5 for remaining headstrong throughout the championship match.

"Nowadays, people tend to surrender to frustration and complain too much. Rafa, though, being down 2 sets to zero had no bad face, nothing. He knew, all the time, how to overcome difficulty, which I think is the most outstanding thing from yesterday's match."

In the video shared by Movistar, Toni can be seen anxiously watching the title match with several young players from his academy. The Spanish coach apparently bolted out of the room when his nephew was broken while serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider. This makes sense considering the heartbreak Nadal has faced at Australian Open finals in the past.

Before the 2022 final, the 35-year-old had dropped four consecutive championship matches in Melbourne (2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019), losing twice to Novak Djokovic and once to Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. The Spaniard, however, broke his curse at the Happy Slam in emphatic fashion on Sunday, becoming only the second player to win every Major twice in the Open Era.

Rafael Nadal to fly back home in a few days, scheduled to play in Acapulco next

The Spaniard during the 2021 French Open

Rafael Nadal will fly back to Spain in a few days after his flight was canceled for undisclosed reasons.

He will next play at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, which is scheduled to begin on February 21. The Spaniard has triumphed at the ATP 500 event thrice in his career and will be joined by the likes of Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini.