Toni Nadal, the uncle and trainer of Rafael Nadal, believed his nephew hasn't done enough to topple the achievement accomplished by rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
In a recent interview, Nadal cleared once and for all that Federer remains the greatest player in tennis history because of the championships and records he has garnered throughout his career. Moreover, he also believed that Djokovic is actually better than his nephew, especially after the Serb's impressive run as of late.
"With all the titles he has won, there is no doubt that Federer is the greatest," said the elder Nadal.
"Rafael has won more titles than Novak Djokovic, but speaking merely about tennis and about the game, Rafa has to be considered slightly lower than Djokovic. The Serb is such a good player that he is as close as you can get to Roger Federer."
Toni Nadal's recent comments are quite surprising for a guy who has been known as the most vocal member of Rafael's camp. The elder Nadal has been Rafael's advisor and father figure since the Spaniard began his tennis career, and these remarks certainly triggered speculations of a turmoil inside Nadal's camp.
After racking up 10 victories in 2013, Nadal could not follow up his dominant season because of unexpected injuries. Although he successfully defended his French Open title, the Spaniard was hardly contender in the last two Grand Slams, as he lost to a previously unheralded teenager in Nick Kygrios in the Wimbledon Open quarterfinals and then missed the entire North American hard-court season, including the US Open championship, due to a fractured right hand.
Nadal attempted to make a comeback for the Asian circuit of the ATP Tour, but another unexpected turn of event ended his season for good, when he was diagnosed with appendicitis.
As for his rivals, Federer returned to elite level this season with impressive showing at the Toronto Masters, Cincinnati Masters, Shanghai Masters and the recently concluded ATP World Tour Finals.
The Swiss also recaptured the world's no.2 ranking and ended his Davis Cup drought after helping his national team win the prestigious cup against France last week.
Djokovic, on the other hand, ended the year as the world's no.1 player in the world. Despite becoming a father, the Serb did not miss a beat in the homestretch mark of the season as he captured the Paris Masters and World Tour Finals championship in an impressive way.
