"He told me he was expecting to get to Madrid" - Uncle Toni on whether Rafael Nadal will compete at Madrid Masters

Rafael Nadal's fans may get to see the King of Clay in action at the Madrid Masters, which begins on May 1. The Spaniard returned to training on Monday following a rib injury that he sustained at the Indian Wells Open in March.

Toni Nadal mentioned during an interview with RTVE, a Spanish publication, that his nephew was expecting to participate in the Masters 1000 event in Madrid.

"He (Rafa) told me he was expecting to get to Madrid. There are 15 days left to see if everything evolves properly and if he can be really fit," Toni Nadal said.

The French Open begins on May 22, with Rafael Nadal hoping to win his 14th Roland Garros title.

Toni Nadal is currently coaching Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Toni and Rafael Nadal parted ways in 2017

Toni and Rafael Nadal at the 2017 French Open

Toni Nadal mentored his nephew from a young age. The pair parted ways in 2017 but not before creating a lot of history together. They won 16 Grand Slams as a coach-player pairing, winning the Career Grand Slam and Olympic Gold in singles.

In an op-ed for the Spanish newspaper El Pais earlier this year, Toni Nadal dwelt at length on the factors that led to the development of his nephew into a tennis legend.

"Going back to why Rafa is able to act as he does, my answer is simply: because he got used to it. My nephew prepared himself, practically during his entire life, to face adversity. For this reason, I was a very demanding coach," he said. "From my extensive experience, I've seen how frustration, boredom and the immediate abandonment of something that bothers them or does not immediately turn out as they wish have been accentuated in young people."

He added that his nephew was up to the task and followed his strict regimen. He also braced the Spaniard for the possibility of his tennis career not working out.

"He accepted the demand, absolutely every day of all the years, to enter the court with a good spirit, not break a racket, train longer than expected. But above all to understand & accept that even if we did all this, things would not necessarily turn out well," Toni Nadal added.

Toni Nadal now heads the Rafa Nadal Academy and is the tournament director of the Mallorca Championships. He held the record for the highest number of Grand Slams won as a coach until February 2020.

Novak Djokovic's former coach, Marian Vadja, surpassed Toni Nadal's record after the Serb won his 17th Grand Slam.