"Rafael cannot think of giving up in the face of difficulty, simply because he is not used to it" - Toni Nadal on Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni Nadal has said that his nephew cannot think of giving up in difficult moments because he is not used to it.
The 26-year-old had some difficulty during his quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz and took a medical timeout during the second set. He eventually carried on with the match and won in five sets to reach the semifinals.
However, the Spaniard withdrew from Wimbledon on Thursday, ahead of his semifinal clash against Nick Kyrgios, after suffering an abdominal tear.
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Toni Nadal wrote a column in El Pais about his nephew's injury and fitness situation over the years.
"The reality of my nephew, indeed, has been the one that I reminded my brother once when he told me that we rushed too many times: “If it hadn't been like that, Rafael would have lifted half of the Grand Slams he has”. He, of course, will not put his health at risk, as he has stated lately, but the fact is that he combines a set of characteristics that allow him to make the most of his worst circumstances," Toni Nadal said.
Toni wrote about the onset of Muller-Weiss syndrome in 2005, saying that if they took the issue seriously, Nadal would have retired and wouldn't have even won the French Open in 2006.
"First of all, he has an ability to endure suffering and to overcome extraordinary difficulty," Toni said. "Already in 2005 he had to accept and internalize the pain in order to continue with his sports career. If we had given credit to the seriousness of his congenital injury, he would have retired in those early days and would not have even lifted the 2006 Roland Garros."
He also mentioned that his nephew almost always keeps a lot of faith in himself in the most untenable of situations and, even if he does not win, he will have the peace of mind that he won't be able to blame his injury due to him retiring.
"Second, even in seemingly untenable situations, he almost always retains unshakable faith in himself." Toni added. "He tends to take every opportunity he has available to him and grasp at straws. If he goes well, he wins the match, and if not, he leaves with the peace of mind that he won't be able to attribute the defeat to his own resignation."
The 61-year-old also said that Rafael Nadal cannot think of giving up in the face of difficulty because he is not used to it.
"And finally, his style of play has always been based on finding solutions to change the trajectory of a match that is going uphill for him, whether the difficulties are caused by his opponents or by his own problems," Toni Nadal continued. "Rafael cannot think of giving up in the face of difficulty, simply because he is not used to it."
Toni stated that the withdrawal from Wimbledon will help his nephew recover for the US Open.
"This time it could not be and finally, what for everyone was very predictable has happened. Playing the semifinal of a Grand Slam with a rupture in the abdominal area is an impossible task. Rafael decided yesterday afternoon to withdraw from the tournament, but I think he made it clear, once again, his intention not to leave until he sees all the possibilities exhausted and to maintain his iron commitment, the one that will encourage him to recover and face with enthusiasm the US Open."
Rafael Nadal will not be able to complete a Calendar Grand Slam
Having withdrawn from Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal will be unable to complete an unprecedented career Grand Slam. The 36-year-old will look to recover from his injury as soon as he can and compete in the forthcoming tournaments.