Moya: Why Nadal ‘Much Better Than He Could Have Hoped’

Rafael Nadal is preparing for his return to action after missing almost the entire 2023 season due to injury.

ATPTour.com spoke to Nadal’s coach, former World No. 1 Carlos Moya, in a wide-ranging conversation about the lefty’s comeback. In the second part of that interview, Moya discussed how his charge has been coming along in training, the instances in which Nadal's team needs to hold the 22-time major winner back, and what Rafa could do to surprise them.

“I think I do not deserve to end my sports career in a press room”. That’s what Rafa said when he announced in May that he was having an operation, but that he intended to come back to say goodbye. That must be what happened to Roger Federer, that he was unable to say goodbye in the way he would have wanted...
Nobody can say that sport is fair. Of all the great players who have retired throughout history... very few have done so as they wanted. There have been two or three that have retired as they wanted. Sampras, maybe, comes to mind as someone who retired in the way they wanted, winning and being at the top. Of the rest, Edberg retired announcing that it was his last year, playing great tennis and still being relevant. I’m sure there are more, but I can’t think of more than two or three players that have really retired in the way they dreamed.

“I hope I am able to not demand of myself what I have demanded throughout my career,” Nadal said a few days ago on his Instagram account. Will he be able to do that?
It’s not easy. As much as we try and get that into his head and make him see it, when he steps on a tennis court, he’s a competitive animal. A large part of my work and that of the team has been to stop him. Stop him in terms of the load of training, stop him in terms of hours of work, intensity.

For example, occasionally I’ll tell him: ‘Now you organise the training session.’ That also helps me see what he would like to do, what he values and if there’s something we need to do. It’s really helpful to me.

When I told him that, it was a time at which Rafa was starting to get going, but he said: ‘Carlos, I’d rather you did it. If I do it, I’ll put my foot down. My head wants to, but I still don’t think my body can. So, I would prefer it if you guys keep doing it.’

That tells you that he is ready to give his all, to go full steam ahead. Of course, he knows that he’s not at his best level right now, but little by little he will increase it. That’s also part of our work. During those days in Kuwait, we trained with Fils, and it was really good, much better than he could have hoped. Rafa went there thinking that he wouldn’t be competitive, that he wouldn’t be good enough, and he’s left convinced that it might be possible.

Is he back to a recognisable level after the days in Kuwait?
It’s a process. In order to get to your best, the difficulty increases. It’s like a video game. You may think you are playing very well, but you get overtaken on the last screen and they knock you out in two minutes. It’s similar. You start on the first level, then the second, and you defeat the bosses, who get a little more difficult each time. This is a very similar thing to me. Things get increasingly difficult, but your level as a player increases too. I think we’re on the right path.

If we put it all together, Nadal has not played regular tennis for over a year and a half. What is his greatest fear about coming back after such a long break?
To me it’s clearly handling the loads of the matches. I think that’s my greatest fear. Rafa is going to switch from practising, which is very good, to competing. And it’s impossible to have the same conditions in a practice session as in a match. Playing the best of five sets, winning, resting, going back on court in two days... That’s my doubt right now, above all for a Grand Slam. But we have time.

If the Australian Open were to start tomorrow, it would be a genuine fear. There’s still a month to go, a tournament beforehand in Brisbane, demanding practice sessions... I think all of that will allow him to be fit enough to handle it. But right now, that’s my fear.

Although he can play using his protected ranking for his first nine tournaments after returning, that won’t prevent him from facing some very strong opponents in the first round...
Of course the draws will play a very big role upon his return, above all because we want him to play matches. I’ve never thought that Rafa needs to find his rhythm because he’s too good for that, but now the situation is different. We’re interested in him playing matches, and winning them so that he can get his level back.

Is there a clear goal in the season, like Roland Garros may have been in the past?
It’s clear that Roland Garros has always been his favourite tournament and in this case nothing has changed. It’s also clear that there are six months to go and we have to see the matches he has played, his level, his competitiveness.

There are a lot of unknowns that will become clear with time, but of course Roland Garros is a tournament that he is extremely passionate about, as he is for the whole clay swing, which is his favourite time of the year.

Rafa has said that it may be his last year, but that he doesn’t want to be a slave of his own words. Is it possible that things go better than you’re expecting and he decides to continue?
Like I said, leaving a sport you have played all your life, which you are hooked on because of that special adrenaline, is very difficult. He doesn’t want to close the door.

If it goes well, and he can handle it, why not continue? If he enjoys it, has a good time, and it’s what he likes doing, why not? But there are too many unknowns right now to be able to say where we’ll be in a year. Anything can happen.

Is there anything Nadal can do to surprise us at this point?
Nothing can surprise us. Not in a positive way. Being with him, I’ve genuinely seen unthinkable, otherworldly things, so why not? He is still Rafa Nadal, we know the player we are talking about.

Has the greatest thing in all these years been the final where he beat Medvedev in Australia?
Medvedev, the French Open he won that year… I know the form he arrives in, I know how he is from match to match, I see what he has and what he does. I don’t know if anyone has won a Grand Slam in the history of tennis in the conditions Rafa was in at Roland Garros.