Rafael Nadal is not retiring for now but to overcome Novak Djokovic is difficult, says Spaniard’s uncle Toni

Toni Nadal has revealed Rafael Nadal is not retiring anytime soon but admitted it will be difficult for his nephew to overcome Novak Djokovic. Nadal was knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round after he suffered a hip injury while playing against America’s Mackenzie McDonald.

The injury raised doubts about Nadal’s future and once again the pundits are questioning if he will be able to play for a couple of more seasons. Before the start of the Australian Open, Nadal had squashed his retirement rumors.

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic went on to win his 10th Australian Open title by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. This was also Djokovic’s 22nd Grand slam title, which puts him on par with Rafael Nadal for the most titles in Men’s tennis. Toni Nadal admitted that the Serbian is fresher than his nephew.

“In Rafa’s mind, he is not retiring for now. Another thing is what the doctors say or that he has more pain than he touches,” Toni Nadal said as quoted by TyC. “The moment is still good and if he is fit, he will continue.”

“In the end, it’s a complicated fight against a great champion like Djokovic. To overcome Djokovic is difficult because Djokovic is fresher than him,” he said. “He will have options at Roland Garros and after France. We’ll see.”

Toni Nadal, who helped Nadal in winning the first 16 Majors of his career, added that it is all about giving one’s best and keep fighting.

“It is not about winning this or another tournament but about continuing the fight, since what he has left is to continue doing what he wants to do. He likes it and keep fighting, which is what he has gotten used to from a very young age. His career, whatever he does, has been a great career,” he said.

“Now he has to make this last effort to continue, as he has been doing for a long time.”

Toni added that Carlos Alcaraz is the future star in the game. Alcaraz won the US Open in 2022.

“[In Carlos Alcaraz], we have a champion for the following years. [But] Rafa Nadal is still there, although we will see what happens when he recovers from the injury,” he said.