Uncle Toni snubs Novak Djokovic: Rafa Nadal would've already won tennis' GOAT debate without his injuries

Updated 12/02/2022 at 08:24 GMT

Rafa Nadal would've already won tennis' GOAT debate ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic if he hadn't been injured so much, says his uncle Toni. Nadal won his 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open to take the lead in the major tally for the first time, but his uncle reckons that was long overdue. If not Nadal, then Toni says it's Federer who has done "the biggest things" in tennis.

Toni and Rafa Nadal celebrate another French Open triumph in 2017.

Image credit: Eurosport

Rafa Nadal would've already won tennis' GOAT debate if he hadn't been injured so much - that's the view of his uncle and ex-coach Toni.

Nadal took the lead in the all-time men's Grand Slam rankings with his 21st major win at the Australian Open in January, but Toni believes he could've put the recurring argument to bed before now were it not for a succession of foot, knee and wrist issues.

However, Toni admitted that he feels fellow great Roger Federer has had the overall biggest contribution to the game.

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Toni's comments will no doubt be seen by some as a snub to Novak Djokovic, who many feel can lay claim to being the best male to have played the game.

In conversation with the Manana Sylvestre radio programme, Toni said: "It is very difficult today to say who is the best.

"Is it the one who manages to play at the highest level, the one who has the Grand Slam record, or the one who has the most titles?

"If my nephew hadn't been injured so much then he would have been the best but I think there is very little difference with Federer or Djokovic, even if Federer is probably the one who has done the biggest things."

In another rebuke to Djokovic, Toni made it clear that he had little sympathy for the Serb's plight in Australia, where he ended up being deported in a controversy over his Covid-19 vaccination status.

He said: "It's a shame that this happens to the number one in the world, but there are rules and you have to follow them whether you like it or not. Nobody likes to pay taxes but we have to do it, there is no other way."

Toni played a critical role in his nephew's career, coaching him from a young boy all the way until 2017 when he stepped back from the role, handing over to Nadal's fellow Majorcan Carlos Moya.

And it is therefore no surprise that he has a feeling of pride about the status Rafa has reached, and a warning for those who think his time in the game is approaching an end.

He said: "When people ask me 'how is Rafael capable of doing it', I say because he got used to that since he was little, where each training session and each ball was important and that attitude improves you day by day.