Home

Tennis

Carlos Moya Says Rafael Nadal Is a Cross Between Bjorn Borg ‘Who Was Pure Ice’ and John McEnroe ‘Who Was All Fire’

Published 09/27/2022, 11:48 PM EDT

Follow Us

Rafael Nadal has gone on to become one of the most decorated players in tennis. Despite numerous injury setbacks in his career, the Spaniard has time and again made solid comebacks on the tennis court. While he missed the latter half of the 2021 season due to injuries, Nadal made a resounding comeback this year to clinch the Australian Open and the French Open titles, apart from other honors.

Carlos Moya joined Nadal’s coaching team at the start of the 2017 season. The Spaniard made an instant impact as Nadal won the French Open and the US Open title that year, apart from reaching the Australian Open final. Moya once described how Nadal was a combination of the tennis legends, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Carlos Moya on the special qualities of Rafael Nadal

In Nadal’s autobiography, Rafa: My Story, Moya has talked about how Nadal imbibed two contrasting qualities from Borg and McEnroe. An excerpt from this book reads, “For Moya, Nadal is a cross between the two players who staged the greatest rivalry tennis had seen until Nadal and Federer came along. Borg was pure ice, McEnroe was all fire.”

USA Today via Reuters

“The secret of the tremendous appeal he has worldwide,” says Moya, “is that you can see he is as passionate as McEnroe was, but he has the self-control of Borg, the cold-blooded killer. To be both in one is a contradiction, and that’s what Rafa is.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

‘Uncle Rafa’ – Tennis World Goes Bonkers Upon Seeing an Endearing Video of Rafael Nadal With Roger Federer’s Children

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Recently, Nadal made an appearance at the Laver Cup where he played doubles with Federer. It was the Swiss Maestro’s last match of his illustrious career. However, they went on to lose the match against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.

Nadal takes a break from tennis

Following his match with Federer, Nadal withdrew from the Laver Cup to be with his wife in Mallorca. The couple is expecting their first child. Additionally, Nadal’s wife had suffered a health scare recently and was hospitalized.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THE STORY: Serena Williams open admission on how Alexis Ohanian made her believe in true love

The 22-time Grand Slam champion will hope to finish the 2022 season on a strong note. However, it is still unclear when Nadal plans to return to the ATP Tour.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Vatsal Shah

2,208Articles

One take at a time

Vatsal Shah is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in engineering, he is a die hard fan of tennis and sports in general. He is an ardent follower of Rafael Nadal and is inspired by his never-say-die attitude.
Show More>