Rafael Nadal Reveals Carlos Moya’s Impact on his Tennis

Published 12/24/2019, 3:39 AM EST

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Rafael Nadal has hailed the impact Carlos Moya has had since joining his coaching team in 2016. The World No.1 explained that Moya has influenced him a lot on all the changes in his game. However, is the former world No.1 more of a friend to Nadal than a coach? The Mallorcan answers.

Moya, a champion at Roland-Garros in 1998 is also from Mallorca and has known Nadal since he was a young up-and-comer. Hence, the 43-year-old had to forget about his role as a coach during Nadal’s rough period in the 2019 spring, and instead was there for him as a friend.

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“He has given me a different way of working”: Nadal

“When he is friend, he is friend and when he is coach, coach,” Rafael Nadal said in an interview. “Carlos has given me a different way of working. He has helped me decisively to continue being where I am. He and the rest of the team are always with me in good times and bad times. Carlos is the newest on the team, but we have known each other for a lifetime.”  

The most significant change that the world witnessed across in Nadal’s game in 2017 season was his rediscovered aggression. Rather than waiting for the opponent to commit mistakes and stick to a tight defensive game from behind the baseline, the Balearic has been keen on finishing points by playing more attacking tennis.

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“When the Time Comes I Will Know”: Rafael Nadal

Nadal’s partnership with Moya

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Carlos Moya joined Nadal’s team to work with his uncle Toni Nadal in December 2016 and has helped revitalise the 33-year-old’s career. Moya started to work closely with Rafael Nadal as one of his coaches, hoping to guide him to more big titles. He then took over as the head coach of Nadal after the retirement of his long-time coach Toni Nadal after the 2017 season.

There is nothing to take away from Toni Nadal for what he has done over the years. However, the arrival of Carlos Moya as Nadal’s coach has just helped him to liberate from the past pressure.

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The 19-time Grand Slam champion now looks to enjoy himself much more, knowing exactly what works for him and what doesn’t. The World No.1 has clinched 3 major titles after Moya took charge to lead his team in 2018

 

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Written by:

Varun Khanna

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Starting off as a tennis author in 2018, Varun Khanna has gone on to contribute to EssentiallySports in various capacities. After setting up interviews with the likes of Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Alizé Cornet, and Noah Rubin, Varun is now part of all major ATP and WTA press conferences and has gone on to pen more than 1300 articles for EssentiallySports. He now heads the tennis and NBA division of the organization.
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