Most of the people believe that the incredible record that Rafael Nadal has set up at Roland Garros of lifting the trophy 9 times in 10 years would never be broken or even matched, but, Toni Nadal, Rafa’s coach as well as uncle, has a slightly different opinion.
Talking to the reporters after his nephew’s victory against the Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic in the final yesterday, Toni said, “I don’t think it’s an unbreakable record. If Rafa can win it 9 times, there is no reason why another guy in the future can’t do it, but, yes, you are right it’s one hell of an achievement. It’s not an easy tournament, the French Open and to keep winning it time and time again, it takes a lot of effort and I am feeling very proud of him today.”
When asked if he thinks his nephew is a class above the rest among the currently active players, the 53 year old Spaniard said, “No, I don’t think so. Yes, he is a player with enormous abilities, but, I would not term him special. He is like anybody else.”
Well, Toni might be modest about the achievements of his nephew, but, the truth is that Rafa is indeed an extraordinary tennis player. To create dominance over one of the Grand Slams in an extremely competitive era of tennis, it’s not something that everyone can do.
With this French Open title, Nadal has now equalled Pete Sampras’ record of winning 14 Grand Slams. Now, the only man who is ahead of him in this regard is his arch rival Roger Federer who has won 17 Grand Slam singles title.
Considering Nadal’s recent form, it’s very much possible that he would surpass Federer in a couple of years’ time.