Rafael Nadal: Uncle Toni fell asleep during 2008 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer
Everyone knows Toni Nadal as a hard taskmaster who made his nephew Rafael Nadal grind it out on the practice courts until his legs gave out. The senior Nadal, who was the 19-time Grand Slam champion's coach for 15 years, was often seen egging his nephew on from the stands or vigorously celebrating one of his victories - especially the Wimbledon 2008 one against Roger Federer.
But Rafael Nadal recently revealed another side of his beloved Uncle Toni - that he gets bored easily. During an interaction with former player and current tennis analyst José Luis Clerc on ESPN Argentina, Nadal shared an amusing anecdote in response to a fan question.
The Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal Wimbledon 2008 final - a match for the ages
During the 2008 Wimbledon final, the whole world waited with bated breath as the Spaniard desperately tried to dethrone five-time champion Roger Federer.
Rafael Nadal had tasted defeat twice to the same man in the previous couple of years at Wimbledon. He might have established himself as the King of Clay at Roland Garros, but Roger Federer's reign on the other side of the Channel still continued unhindered.
The 21-year-old Nadal got close to snapping Federer's remarkable winning streak in 2007, stretching the Swiss to five grueling sets. But Roger Federer came through in the end once more, equaling Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles.
The outcome famously reduced Nadal to tears after the final.
After such a marathon effort the year before, the entire Nadal camp would have been expected to be on their toes throughout the 2008 final, vociferously cheering their boy on. Moreover, the 12-time French Open winner started the match in thunderous fashion; he stunned Roger Federer by racing away to a two-sets-to-love lead, before the heavens opened up.
Just one more set would have fulfilled Rafael Nadal's long-coveted goal of winning Wimbledon, and so you'd have expected his entire team to be anxiously waiting for the rain to subside. But Uncle Toni was least bothered by it all, and nonchalantly dozed off during the rain break!
Recounting his experience of winning the historic 2008 Wimbledon final, the World No. 2 described how much he enjoyed making fun of his uncle.
"I wasn't nervous at all during Wimbledon 2008. As a matter of fact, I made fun of my uncle. He fell asleep in the locker room during the first stop due to the rain when I was winning 2-0."
Told Toni not to sleep after losing match points: Rafael Nadal
Neither Nadal nor Clerc could suppress their laughter after this admission. Nadal then went on to recall how Toni's drowsiness became a source of annoyance for him as the drama levels in the epic battle rose higher.
The four-time US Open winner had two match points in the fourth set, but Roger Federer saved them both before taking the contest to a fifth. Nadal was understandably irritated at that point, and he proceeded to ask his uncle not to sleep anymore!
"During the last stop when I had lost two match points, I came back to the locker room and I told him it would be better if he didn't fall asleep then."