Rafael Nadal will take Real Madrid Director position after retirement if offered: Spaniard's uncle Toni
Now that Rafael Nadal is set to retire at the end of the 2024 season, the Spaniard could take over as the Director of Football at Real Madrid if the club offers him the job, believes his uncle Toni. Nadal has been a life-long fan of the Spanish club, and has often been seen attending matches at the Santiago Bernabeau over the years.
Earlier this week, the 22-time Grand Slam champion announced to the world that his final tournament will be the Davis Cup Finals this year, following which he will be hanging up his racket to signal the end of an illustrious career. Naturally, questions about what lies ahead for him have arisen in Spanish media.
For starters, the 38-year-old owns a tennis academy headquartered in his hometown of Mallorca, and it is likely that he will become more involved in it from now on. Then there is a potential partnership with Real Madrid, with which Nadal has been associated several times in the past, including the possibility of taking over from Florentino Perez as President of the club.
In light of all this, Toni Nadal, speaking in a recent interview with Marca, opined that it is very possible his nephew will get involved with the club in the future, especially considering his love for the team and football in general. The Director of Football position is currently held by Santiago Solari, who has been employed by Real Madrid since November 2022.
"If they offer him the position of director of Madrid, he will surely say yes. He likes football, but he doesn't understand why my team, which is Barça, touches it, passes it... He has his life focused, he has an academy and he will get more involved," Toni Nadal said during the 2024 Sport Weekend.
The former World No. 1's uncle also touched on his retirement announcement during the conversation, stating that it would have been better if his body had allowed him one more good season on clay before leaving the sport for good.
"Rafa would have liked to have another good season on clay and that means winning or, at least, performing at a good level. He has not retired as he would have liked. I always told him not to complain because life has treated us better than we expected," he said.
"I was tough because Rafael had very high expectations" - Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni on how he trained his nephew
During the interview with Marca, Toni Nadal also spoke about how he trained his nephew in his early years, acknowledging that he was very tough on him, but only because he knew the Spaniard would be able to handle it.
"Toughness is not an end, it is a means. I was tough because Rafael had very high expectations and he was able to bear that toughness. I was tough because of the appreciation I had for him. In the long run, I think he appreciated that toughness. There is a phrase that says that someone who really loves you will make you cry," Toni Nadal said.
Toni Nadal served as the head coach for the 22-time Grand Slam champion from the start of his career until 2017, during which he won 16 Major titles.