Rafael Nadal’s Uncle Toni – the Spanish legend’s long-time coach – is never short of an opinion or two. And he certainly doesn’t hold back when it comes to one of his nephew’s great rivals, Novak Djokovic.
It should come as no surprise that Toni has weighed in on the injury which forced Djokovic to retire from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev. The Serbian great initially caused concern when he took a medical timeout during his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz. He continued the match and went on to claim a stunning victory.
Writing in his El Pais column, Toni expressed his doubts about the severity of the injury, saying on the Alcaraz match: “Not only did he face the rest of the match with total normality, he even ended up winning it.
Toni was then left perplexed by Djokovic’s early retirement against Zverev, saying: “On more than one occasion, we have seen Novak with similar performances, with facial gestures and body language that contradict what we are seeing on the court and that sows certain doubts about the authenticity of his problems.”
Djokovic put his doubters in their place by providing evidence of his injury, posting an image of an MRI scan on social media alongside the caption: “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.
Wimbledon tactics slammed
Toni hasn’t been afraid to criticise Djokovic’s coaching team either and was particularly outspoken following last year’s Wimbledon final, which saw Alcaraz completely outgun his veteran opponent. Toni called Djokovic’s tactics against a “suicidal” against a “superior opponent”.
He wrote: “Knowing that neither his legs nor the precision of his strokes were what they once were, and that a long and physical match would not help him either, he tried a tactic that ultimately proved suicidal.
Injury wish
Last year, prior to Rafael’s retirement, Toni – seemingly jokingly – wished Djokovic and his other rivals an injury. Speaking on the Majorca Daily Bulletin, he said: “We need an injury of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and maybe Daniil Medvedev. We need that many… a lot of problems and then Rafa can play really good.”
Djokovic’s team didn’t appear to take offence, though. Serbian Davies Cup team Bogdan Obradovic said: “I don’t know if it was taken out of context, if he wanted to be funny and missed everything. I look at Toni as our friend, I don’t believe he meant any harm.”
Federer respect jibe
Late last year, Toni was at it again. Shortly before his nephew’s retirement after 22 Grand Slam triumphs, he said Djokovic hadn’t earned the same level of respect as Rafael and Roger Federer. He told Majorcan outlet El Mundo: “There are players whose sporting merits go beyond their specific sport, like Djokovic. But there are others whose winning ways go beyond sports.
“That is what happens with Federer and Rafael, because life is not only about winning but also about how you win. Both have earned superior respect.
Djokovic hits back
Djokovic made a stellar start to 2023, winning the first two Grand Slams of the year. However, it wasn’t enough to impress Toni, who claimed the Serb was no better than he was five or 10 years previously.
He also claimed the standard of top-level men’s tennis had declined. When those comments were put to Djokovic, he delivered a strong return, saying: “I don’t agree with that because each generation has a group of great players that lead.
“Now there are [Jannik] Sinner, [Holger] Rune and Alcaraz. They are dominating the majority of tournaments in the last two years.
“The way Carlos plays, how he defends, how he attacks, It’s very complete. Alcaraz would have won the same 10 or 15 years ago. Each generation has its own champions. Tennis has changed and evolved.
Toni’s praise
Toni has added the occasion dollop of praise to the regular barbs. Writing in his El Pais column after the 2023 Australian Open final, which Djokovic won, he the champion the most “complete” player in the men’s game.
His game is undoubtedly the most complete on the circuit, which allows him to play both attacking and defending. He is decisive and a fighter to the point of exhaustion, and he responds with astonishing serenity in moments of maximum tension.”
‘Best in history’
Following Rafael’s retirement announcement, Toni reflected on his nephew’s standing in the game compared to fellow ‘big three’ rivals Djokovic and Federer. He claimed only injury prevented Rafael from being regarded as the best ever.
He said: “I think my nephew would be the best in history if he didn’t have so many injuries. When people ask me who is the best in history, I say, ‘the best in history is Djokovic because of everything he accomplished, and the one who played the best tennis is Federer’. But I think my nephew would be the best in history if he didn’t have so many injuries.
