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By Giri Nathan
[vc_empty_space height="15px"]If I were designing a tennis news Mad Libs, I’d be elated if it produced sentences as weird as “Uncle Toni signs up to coach Felix Auger-Aliassime days before the Monte Carlo Masters.” You can’t beat reality, though, so here indeed is Rafael Nadal’s uncle standing next to the Canadian prodigy, a few days before the clay swing.[vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html]Toni’s been out of the public eye for a while now. After 16 major titles, some 26 years of tutelage, a whole mythology—was it really tactical prescience that made him turn right-handed Rafa into an on-court lefty?—and a secure spot among tennis’ winningest coaches, he called it quits in 2017. The strange part is that Rafa found out at the same time as the general public. According to a Rafa spokesperson, Uncle Toni hadn’t been fired; he wanted to quit exhausting year-round travel and focus on his job as director of the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca. Make of that what you will; if I’d spent close to three decades coaching my nephew into possibly the greatest tennis player in history, I’d probably send him a box of chocolates or at least a text message. Whatever the truth, less than four years later, Toni has decided he’s ready for the grind of touring again. He’ll be bringing his advice to Auger-Aliassime, aged 20, ranked No. 22, and one of the best young talents alive, even if his 0–7 record in finals hints at struggles with pressure.