Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni explains why Pablo Cuevas was a difficult opponent for the King of Clay

Rafael Nadal’s former coach and uncle Toni Nadal has had a significant role to play in shaping the history of men's tennis. His phenomenal ability to guide and get the best out of his pupil has led to Nadal now being on the cusp of breaking the all-time Slam record.

Rafael Nadal was coached by his uncle from 1990-2017, and in that period the duo won a total of 16 Grand Slam titles. So it comes as no surprise that sporting organizations around the world seek the advice of Toni Nadal on how to mentor young minds.

The latest to ask for Toni's assistance is the Uruguay Tennis Foundation (UTF), an NGO that promotes and teaches tennis to children.

Toni Nadal, tío y entrenador de Rafael Nadal, habló de la relación de su familia con Uruguay, de las características de Pablo Cuevas y de los valores que transmite el tenis a quienes lo practican.https://t.co/zHyMXSVPZN

— ESPN Uruguay (@ESPNUruguay) August 15, 2020

Toni Nadal recently had a conversation with UTF on Instagram live, where he spoke about a host of subjects. Among them was a curious mention of Pablo Cuevas, and how he gave Rafael Nadal a particularly difficult time on the court. The 59-year-old also revealed a rather interesting philosophical idea he believes in regarding tennis.

Pablo Cuevas has a lot of merit: Rafael Nadal’s uncle

Pablo Cuevas has always been a challenge for Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as the greatest claycourter of all time. Very few have managed to trouble him on the red dirt, let alone beat him.

Pablo Cuevas, however, features prominently in that rather exclusive list. The Uruguayan has not only given Rafael Nadal quite a few tough matches over the years, but has also beaten him on his favorite surface.

It was in 2016 when Pablo Cuevas took on top seed Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Rio Open. The legendary Spaniard had never lost to Cuevas before that, although he had had to come back from a set down at the same event in 2015 (Cuevas faced Rafael Nadal in the quarters).

This time, Cuevas went one better and produced an inspired display to come back from a set down himself and beat Rafael Nadal 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-4. And the match is still fresh in Toni Nadal's memory, due to the immense challenge that Cuevas put up.

“He has a lot of merit because after having a very serious injury and for a long time, he managed to return with the same intensity and at a great level. When he was psyched up, brick dust was very difficult," Toni said about Cuevas.

Rafael Nadal

The Nadal clan and Cuevas share a healthy relationship, as the latter has trained several times with Rafael Nadal and his uncle. Toni touched upon this bond by explaining the connection between Spaniards and South Americans.

“Uruguay is a country with which we feel almost brothers, we have a common language, we Spaniards feel very close to South America," said Toni. "We always had a very good relationship with the players in that area and with Pablo Cuevas we also trained many times together."

Rafael Nadal with his uncle Toni Nadal

Rafael Nadal’s uncle also summarised the very basis of tennis in a rather simplistic manner. For him, the sport which has given so much to Rafa (and Toni as well) is just a basic act of ‘passing the ball over the net’.

“In the end, what is the value of the sport? It is passing a ball over a net.”