1 reason why Nadal has not more slams than Federer. UNCLE TONI

Nadal

Rafael Nadal won the US Open last weekend bringing his career Grand Slams total to 19. The 33-year-old Spaniard defeated Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final in a five-set thriller to take home the title. Nadal is now only one Grand Slam away from equaling his tennis rival Roger Federer who has 20 Grand Slams. The two tennis players have had a storied rivalry with some spectacular matches between the two with their Wimbledon final in 2008, in particular, being praised as one of the best tennis matches of all time.

Hampered by injuries

After the US Open final, Nadal’s uncle, Toni commented on his nephew’s career and suggested that Rafa could have won more Grand Slam titles than Federer had it not been for injuries. Toni said, “Rafa didn’t play 14 Grand Slams because of injuries. If he had played some of them, it would be probable that he would be above Federer.” The 58-year-old Toni has been a major influence in Rafa’s career. He introduced Nadal to the sport of tennis and is credited with identifying Nadal’s talent and coaching him at an early age. Toni, however, went on to acknowledge that Federer may be one of the best tennis players of all time. When asked who was the greatest ever, Toni replied, “It’s difficult to say because many things need to be considered now. Roger Federer is the number one. Nadal is among the best guys in history like Novak Djokovic and Rod Laver. When their careers end, I will tell who is the best ever.”

Considered stopping for a season

Rafa has struggled with injuries during his career but he has always overcome the injuries to come back to the game stronger. Speaking about his injury history after the winning the US Open final, Nadal admitted that dealing with injuries has been a difficult part of his career. “It has been unforgettable, emotional two weeks. Who would have thought it after Monte Carlo and especially the Barcelona first round? Tough times. I seriously thought about stopping for a season because when you have injuries every week you do not enjoy yourself,” Nadal said.

Overcoming injuries

Nadal has, however, fought to overcome his injury issues with the help of his family and victories like Sunday’s US Open final make the struggle all worth it. Nadal said, “I tried to make a change, to go through the suffering, training and appreciating the little things that I needed to do to fight for the things I wanted to. I had a great team behind and without their confidence, it would have been impossible. Today is the day to enjoy. I did this during all my career.”

Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019

Rafael Nadal Stats info

Ranked no.2, Rafael played his last match on the 8th of September when he defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in U.S. Open to win his 84th career title.

This year Rafael has a 47-6 win-loss record. Rafael has won 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. Rafael was the finalist at the Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal

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