Rafael Nadal retirement plans discussed

Nadal’s season has been disrupted by a knee injury which forced him to pull out of his Indian Wells semi-final clash against Roger Federer and he subsequently sat out the Miami Open.

The former world No 1 is now gearing up for the clay court season, beginning in a fortnight’s time at the Monte Carlo Masters where he is an 11-time champion.

However, with a knee injury giving him problems over the winter, Toni admits it has been a sad sight to see and that it could force his nephew’s hand as to when he hangs up his racket.

When asked how long Nadal could carry on playing for, Toni told Spanish paper El Pais: “I see it well.

“The most important thing is that they appreciate and respect each other, something very necessary.

“And Rafael wants to continue playing, despite his physical problems.

“That is what will continue to be decisive. Until when, who knows.

“Maybe two or three more years.

“What I'm saying is that Rafael is not a tennis player, he's an injured person who plays tennis, and that's very difficult.”

And Toni is unsurprised that the game’s elder statesman continue to dominate.

He added: “The young people of tennis are good, but in general they have less commitment.

“I have seen several youngsters play and fight little, and I have seen Rafael, Djokovic, Federer, but never without giving the most.

“That's why, when we arrived at the circuit, the best ones were between 21 and 23 years old.

“Now the best are 29, 30, 32 or 37 years old.”