Carlos Moya on Rafael Nadal - training performance not shown in match
Carlos Moya drew a differentiated balance after the disappointing group out of his protégé Rafael Nadal at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. In particular, the training performance seems to put the Spaniard in a positive mood.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Nov 18, 2022, 10:38 am
"It wasn't the tournament we expected," Carlos Moya immediately clarified after his protégé was able to at least do some cosmetic result by beating Casper Ruud in the last group game of the Nitto ATP finals in Turin. The disappointing group of the 22-time Grand Slam winner was already certain at this point - Nadal had lost the first two matches at the season finale.
This was a total disappointment for the Spaniard in the two tournaments that the 36-year-old still wanted to play at the end of the season - Nadal had to give up at the start in Paris-Bercy. The Mallorcan has never triumphed in either Paris or the Nitto ATP Finals. "Winning at the end is not bad, even if you knew nothing was at stake. Rafa showed his face and played the best game of the week. He went from less to more over the week," Moya said after the last group game.
Training performance from Nadal appealing
However, what the coaching team noticed: Nadal has not been able to transfer good training performance to the matches in the past few days. Something that is quite "unusual" for his protégé, as Moya emphasized. "We arrived last Tuesday. He played a few sets and the game was good and well adapted to the surface. Putting it into practice in the matches demanded a little more from him," said the Spaniard.
So who is the biggest favorite to win the title in Paris? At least for Carlos Moya Novak Djokovic. "I think Djokovic is the best player from what I've seen, but anything can happen," said the former world-class player. "Right now he's the one I see a little bit above the others." Djokovic won the first two group matches without losing a set and is already in the semifinals.