Rafael Nadal‘s massive tennis career was always backed by the unwavering support of his uncle Tony Nadal. However, after spending a long time coaching the Spaniard, Tony decided to take a tour and ended up in a partnership with Canadian tennis star Felix Auger Aliassime back in April 2021. As their partnership came to an end recently, fans got to know about an act that made Uncle Tony choose his personal relationship with Rafa over his professional duty with Aliassime.
Back in 2022, the tennis fans witnessed a unique showdown in which Rafael Nadal faced Felix Auger Aliassime during the French Open round four. Besides the intensity of the competition, what grabbed attention was the fact that Tony Nadal, despite being the Canadian’s coach, was present in Rafa’s box. As the fans got to know about the reality after such a long time, they came forward with hateful comments about the coach.
Remembering the incidents that tampered with Tony’s image as a coach, a fan wrote, “He shouldn’t even keep in touch. Block his number.”
Another fan, appreciating Aliassime for splitting up with Tony Nadal, mentioned the fact that the 2022 incident was, “the height of unprofessional behavior from Uncle Toni.”
A fan, mentioning the fact that Tony Nadal won’t be a relevant coach for any player in the scene, affirmed that, “he cannot be trusted”.
A fan deeply analyzed the situation and concluded that Uncle Tony lost his relevance after splitting up with Rafael Nadal. Appreciating Aliassime’s decision to split up with him, the fan wrote, “FAA’s collaboration with him set poor Felix back to the tune of years so getting rid of that loose speaking recreant is a great move.”
Family is important, yes, but to this fan, being a professional came first. “He should’ve fired Toni after that Nadal match where he didn’t show up,” wrote another fan, despising Uncle Tony’s unprofessional act.
With these and several other comments on a similar note, the fans made it clear that they still haven’t forgiven Uncle Tony for the 2022 incident. As he has now parted ways with the Canadian, it still remains to be seen who will be his next apprentice.
Felix Auger Aliassime volunteering to take the blame on himself
The partnership between Felix Auger Aliassime and Tony Nadal covered three long years. While there were several ups and downs on their way, his coach always stood to be the main focus for blame from the spectators.
Back in 2023, Aliassime’s run for the Canadian Open title had to go through a huge disappointment as he faced an opening match defeat against Max Purcell. While everyone started blaming his coach Tony Nadal for the defeat, the Canadian came forward to claim the shortcomings.
“I don’t think the solution is there. I have the same people around me who brought me there last year. We are all in solution mode internally to see how I can play better. But the main culprit is me. It’s up to me to find the solution,” he said.
While the debated partnership between the Canadian and Uncle Tony has come to an end, both of their fates are yet to be determined.
