"Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova earned more than Rafael Nadal and they deserved it" - Spaniard's uncle Toni
Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni has shared his perspective on his nephew earning less than Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Toni disclosed that the 22-time Grand Slam champion wasn't overly concerned about his prize money earnings, even willingly sacrificing a hefty sum on one occasion.
Nadal recently made headlines with his bombshell retirement announcement, disclosing his plans to end his illustrious career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. In an emotional video, the 38-year-old paid tribute to his family, giving a special shoutout to his uncle Toni for being the "real reason he started playing tennis" and for guiding him through "difficult" situations in his life.
Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni reflected on his nephew's career and impending retirement in a recent interview with Marca. The 63-year-old discussed that the likes of Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Roger Federer didn't prioritize prize money earnings due to their substantial income from endorsements.
To illustrate his point, Toni recounted an incident when the former World No. 1 chose to withdraw from a doubles event during a tournament in Australia, forfeiting a significant amount of prize money in the process.
"For some players like Alcaraz, Sinner, Rafa or Federer, it doesn't matter because they already have a lot of income outside of tennis," he said.
"My nephew never thought about how much money he earned in tournaments. I remember one year in Australia, he was partnered with Tommy Robredo and wanted to retire. Robredo said there was a lot of money and Rafael retired," he added.
Toni also asserted that both Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova had earned more than Rafael Nadal, expressing his belief that they "deserved" the higher pay because of the revenue they generated. The 63-year-old also shed light on his own preference for women's tennis over the men's game.
"Serena Williams and Sharapova earned more than Rafael and they deserved it because they generated it," Toni said. "I prefer to watch women's tennis rather than men's because I don't watch anything in men's tennis. I like the points to last longer."
"I don't want me to earn more than Serena Williams because I am Rafael Nadal" - Spaniard discloses his views on equal prize money
Rafael Nadal had echoed uncle Toni's sentiments, asserting that he didn't want to earn more than Serena Williams simply because he was a man.
In an interview with La Sexta earlier this year, the Spaniard emphasized his "feminist" belief that women deserved equal opportunities, asserting that female players should earn more than men if they generated more revenue.
"What is unfair is that there is no equal opportunity. If you ask me if I am a feminist, if a feminist means saying that they deserve the same opportunities, yes I am," Nadal said.
"I don't want me to earn more than Serena Williams because I am Rafa Nadal. I want women to earn more than men if they generate more than men," he added.
Nadal also highlighted that tennis generally offered equal prize money due to the worldwide popularity and high demand for women's tennis, contending that if female players were filling stadiums, they deserved the rewards of their success.
"The prizes, in tennis, are practically the same. Why? Because there was the opportunity for women's tennis to be liked by the world. Women's tennis is liked by the world, they earn a lot of money. If the women world champions are popular, they fill the stadiums... The more they win, the better," he said.
Rafael Nadal's views on equal prize money have evolved over time and he once courted controversy by drawing a questionable parallel between the pay disparity in the tennis world and the fashion industry, questioning why female models earned more than their male counterparts.