Coach Moya details Rafa’s final downfall

Coach Carlos Moya has revealed the thinking of Rafael Nadal as Spain’s king of clay slowly accepted  the end of his celebrated career.

Former No. 1 Moya, with the Nadal camp for eight years, told Radioestadio Noche of the behind-the-scenes rationalising of the inevitable Nadal retirement.

The 38-year-old, currently in Saudi as a “tennis ambassador” and hoovering up a massive cheque at this week’s exhibition, will play for the final time at next month’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

Moya said that the 22-tiem Grand Slam winner needed to slowly come to his own conclusions about finally packing in his career – and the crunch came at the Paris Olympic when he lost in the second round to eventual gold medalist Novak Djokovic.

“The final point is the Olympic Games, he has a problem the days before and plays against Djokovic in the second round. I think that was his last great hope and that’s why he decided that it will be his last, 

“After the Olympics he takes a few weeks off and I think that’s when he realises that this is going to be his last year.”

Moya added that the end was in sight even at Roland Garros two months earlier when the 14-time champion went out in the first round to Alexander Zverev.

.“At Roland Garros, we had a conversation and he asked me if I thought he should retire or hold back a bit.

“I told him not to say anything before, to have a good tournament, not to close himself off and he thought the same. Then what happens happens and we see the team and he is running out of realistic objectives.

“As for his game, the doubts continued. This year we did not see any game in which he gave the performance that he showed us in training.”

Moya, a decade older than Nadal,  said he will be in “mourning” when his friend and pupil finally quits the sport. 

“I will now have a period of mourning at work because something breaks up with someone like Rafa who we have known since we were children..

“The only way to feel something similar would be to train a son.

Main photo:- Carlos Moya with Rafa Nadal at US Open 2019 – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd