Rafael Nadal was banned from breaking rackets by his uncle, Toni Nadal, who also served as his coach until 2017. But Novak Djokovic once pushed the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s patience to the ragged edge.

Laser-focus and a level-headed temperament have been strong points for Nadal over the course of his career, which will end after the Davis Cup finals next month.

And uncle Toni made sure it stayed that way, telling La Razon: “Rafa has never broken a racket in his life. I once told him, ‘You throw one racket and I’m no longer your coach’. There are millions of kids in the world who can’t afford to buy one.”

Nadal himself once spoke about the strict rule during an interview with 60 Minutes, in which he explained: “My family would not have allowed me to break a racket. For me, breaking a racket means I am not in control of my emotions.”

Although Nadal has, by and large, managed to keep his emotions in check while out on court, there are a handful of occasions on which he came close to losing his cool, and forcing his racket to take the brunt of his rage.

One such moment occurred during a high-stakes Indian Wells final against Djokovic in 2011. The pair had met in the same match four years prior, with Nadal coming out on top, and he looked on course to repeat the feat by racing into a one-set lead.

Toni Nadal was Rafa’s coach until 2017 (Image: Getty)

But the tide began to turn in the second set, when Nadal had no answer to Djokovic’s resilience during a long rally at break point, and the Serb converted to go 5-3 up when Nadal found the net. In a momentary fit of anger, the Spaniard hoisted his racket into the air and looked set to launch it onto the court, but instead smashed his own leg at the last second.

We will never know whether uncle Toni would have followed through on his threat to quit if Nadal had let his emotions spill over. Djokovic powered on to win the match 4-6 6-3 6-2.

The pair, who sit one and two in the all-time men’s Grand Slam singles charts with Djokovic leading the way on 24, have maintained a respectful rivalry over the years, and classy words were shared when Nadal announced his retirement on Thursday.

“One post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram. “Your tenacity, dedication and fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever.

“Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry that has impacted me the most as a player.”