Rafael Nadal’s uncle Tony gave the reason for his retirement, saying that he wants to continue his career

Toni Nadal has revealed that Rafael Nadal decided to retire when he “realized that it was impossible” to overcome his injury problems this year.

Nadal’s uncle and former coach explained that it was “difficult” for the great Spaniard to retire from tennis and that he would “want to continue” if he could.

Nadal announced last month that he would make the final appearance of his stunning career at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga from November 19 to 24.

In an emotional video announcing his decision on social media, Nadal said: “The reality is that these have been difficult years, especially the last two years.

“I don’t think I was able to play without restrictions. Obviously this is a difficult decision that took me some time to make.

“But in this life everything has a beginning and an end. And I think now is the right time to end a career that has been long and far more successful than I could have imagined.”

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“Spain has never had an athlete comparable to Rafael Nadal,” says the former world number 12.

Spain will play the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarter-finals on November 19. Together with Nadal – Carlos AlcarazRoberto Bautista Agut and Marcel Granollers have been included in David Ferrer’s Spain squad, with a fifth player yet to be confirmed.

In an interview with FlashscoreToni Nadal discussed his nephew’s retirement.

“It will also be an emotional moment,” the 63-year-old said. “To close your more than 20-year stage in professional tennis, to close everything at once, it’s difficult.

“But on the other hand, we knew that this moment had to come and that it was very close. So we took it as normal.”

The legendary coach also asked whether Nadal chose the right time to retire.

“People always tend to blame others for things they don’t do themselves,” Nadal said. “It was difficult for Rafael to retire because it is difficult for anyone to stop doing what you love and have been doing for many years.

“After that, my nephew lived in a different reality: for many years he lived with problems, with traumas that he was able to overcome.

“This time it wasn’t like that. This did not happen, and when he realized that this was impossible, he resigned. But before that, of course, he would like to continue.”

Toni Nadal coached his nephew from childhood until 2017, helping him win 16 of his 22 Grand Slam titles. He is the director of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.