Toni Nadal: "Rafael kept his promise to me".
Rafael Nadal and professional tennis are over.
After writing the legend of our sport for many, many years, the Majorcan will officially retire at the end of the Davis Cup finals.
Commenting on the choice made by his nephew, Toni Nadal confided that Rafa had honoured a promise he had made to him: "Over the last two years, he has simply continued to give himself every chance, more out of faith than reasoning.
In the end, he only accepted the obvious when he realized that his body could no longer cope with the situation.
Today, I can say with certainty that Rafael has kept the promise he made to me a few years ago during a conversation we had in a club section.
I told him that a well-known former tennis player had confided in me his dissatisfaction with his tennis career.
With remarkable sincerity, he had complained, not about not winning more titles, but about his lack of perseverance.
Out of fear, I urged my nephew not to fall into this mistake and, with more determination than I would have expected, Rafael replied: 'Don't worry, Toni, when I leave here, it will be with the tranquillity of having tried everything.
When I leave here, I'll have the peace of mind of having tried everything.'"
