Toni Nadal jokes: "Rafa never won the Masters... because it wasn't on clay"

The uncle and former coach of the Majorcan teased his nephew about his only missing title. A humorous statement that serves as a reminder of how elusive the ATP Finals have remained for the king of clay.

Throughout his career, Rafael Nadal has won everything, or almost. While his list of achievements is, of course, legendary, the Majorcan is still missing one major title from his trophy cabinet: the ATP Finals.

In 11 appearances, Nadal was beaten in the final twice (2010 and 2013), in the semi-finals four times (2006, 2007, 2015 and 2020), and eliminated in the round-robin stage five times (2009, 2011, 2017, 2019 and 2022).

In addition to these repeated setbacks, the former world No. 1 also missed the tournament six times due to injuries.

This lack of success was mentioned with irony by Toni Nadal, his uncle and former coach.

"My nephew never won the ATP Finals because they were never played on clay. All jokes aside, Rafael has always played well on all surfaces, but he was often very physically tired at the end of the season," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.