Earlier this week, former word No.1 Carlos Moya conducted an exclusive interview with Ubitennis concerning the current state of tennis.
In December Moya became a member of Rafael Nadal’s coaching team after ending his collaboration with Milos Raonic. The appointment was one that surprised few. Both men are from the same part of Spain and have been close friends in recent years. In previous months, Nadal has spoken about his high level of respect for Moya, who has also said the same about him.
The most recent achievement for Nadal occurred less than a month ago at the French Open when the Spaniard crushed Stan Wawrinka to clinch an historic tenth title at Roland Garros. Next up for Moya and Co will be Wimbledon, where the seeds will be slightly different. Unlike the other three majors, SW19 uses a special calculation to work out their seeds.
Wimbledon METHOD: Emirates ATP Ranking points (at 26 June 2017) + 100% of the points earned for all grass court tournaments in the past 12 months + 75% of the points earned for the best grass court tournament in the 12 months before that
Given a series of surprise losses at the recent French Open, it has triggered a debate if similar calculations should be applied to all major tournaments. A concept that Moya firmly opposes.
“To me it is fair to keep the rankings (the same) all year, otherwise, it is up to somebody else to decide who is seeded 1, 2 (and so on).” Said Moya.
“If he (Nadal) wants to win it, it doesn’t matter what seed he is.”
Guiding Nadal up the rankings
The 40-year-old is one of a series of former players that have taken on coaching roles in recent years. Other examples include Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Goran Ivanisevic. Whilst it is a positive to be mentored by somebody that has reached the pinnacle of their sport, Moya believes the super coaches phenomenon is also a mental boost. Reflecting on his own experience, he explains that when a player is working with an idol it ‘awakens something’ inside their mentality.
“It depends on the player,” he said. “For sure it brings something mentally.”
It is the mental side that he is currently focusing on with Nadal. Throughout the clay season the world No.4 lost just one match (to Dominic Thiem in Rome) and claimed a total of four titles within a two-month period. An encouraging sign for the rest of the year.
“I think a little bit of everything,’ Moya Responded when asked when he brings of Nadal’s game. “To me it is important what you do on the court, but even more important is to spend time with a player off the court.”
The next Challenge for Moya occurs in less than two weeks time at the Wimbledon Championships. It is set to be Nadal’s only grass-court tournament this year after he withdrew from Queen’s on doctor orders.
