Carlos Moya: "This is what sets Rafael Nadal apart from the others"
Carlos Moya spoke in an interview with Libertad DIgital about the season of his protégé Rafael Nadal , the development of tennis and the Nitto ATP finals.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Nov 28, 2020, 07:25 pm
Rafael Nadal's chance of winning the season finale of the eight best players of the year in the O2 Arena in London has probably not been that great for a long time. In the semifinals, the Spaniard had already served on winning the match against the eventual winner Daniil Medvedev, but then had to admit defeat in the decisive set. In the group stage, the second in the world rankings had to give up an extremely close encounter against Dominic Thiem.
His coach also knows that the Spaniard is often ahead in such situations. "We are used to Rafa normally solving such situations in his favor," said Carlos Moya in an interview with Libertad Digital on precisely these points . It was "a shame" because he really had the chance to win the tournament, the trainer regrets the missed opportunity for the premier title at the season finale.
Nonetheless, you can be satisfied with the season, especially because of the Grand Slam title in Roland Garros. "Within what could be played, the balance is clearly positive, because a Grand Slam victory always makes the year a great year. That is undoubtedly clear." The Spaniard had won the title again in an impressive manner at the Bois de Bolougne - his 20th Grand Slam triumph was perfect.
Australian Open probably postponed
The next major is now just around the corner, and the Australian Open should take place at the beginning of next year. In the run-up to this, however, there were always problems, the country's restrictive entry restrictions are now forcing the organizers to postpone the tournament by a few weeks. Carlos Moya also sees this uncertainty: "At the moment we know that until today you cannot travel to Australia until January 8th, and for this and other reasons a lot is in the air."
In addition, Nadal's coach spoke about the importance of tactics in today's tennis, which in his opinion has declined somewhat due to the athletes playing faster and faster. But not completely. "There is always room for strategy. Rafa is a good example because he has a wide range of possibilities in his game," said Moya. The Spaniard can tactically build up points very well and is extremely adaptable.
Nadal retains this ability
"If you watch a Rafa game in London you can see a big difference from what he played at Roland Garros a month ago, but it's true that this sense of adaptability and strategy is being lost. The players hit harder and harder , The points are getting shorter and shorter and depending on the opponent you are playing against, you hardly have any space for strategy during the point, "explains the Spaniard.
Nonetheless, Rafael Nadal would keep his sense of strategy. A factor that is very central to the game of the world number two: "The good thing is that, as I said, Rafa continues to play tactically, and that sets him apart from the others. He has other plans as the game progresses and can do a lot read well what to do during the match. Knowing how to read what happens in the middle of the game and not after it is what distinguishes the very good from the rest. "