Carlos Moyà spent this Sunday through the microphones of the Sports Board of Radio Nacional de España to talk about one of the news of the week in tennis: the resignation of Rafa Nadal to compete at Wimbledon and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Moyà justified Nadal’s decision, which is mainly based on the fatigue accumulated on the demanding clay court tour. “Rafa is resting now, not thinking much about tennis at the moment. I think it is a deserved rest, it has been a pretty tough season, especially these months on clay and in the end the head rules. He has learned a lot to understand his body . You know this is a marathon. Years ago he had an outbreak of mental fatigue and promised himself that it would not happen again. Now he sees signs that he is tired and thinks it is better to rest to come back full of strength. “
The Mallorcan also confessed that the current situation of the pandemic, together with the demanding pressure that Nadal has been subjected to, have caused extra fatigue in the Manacor tennis player. “It has been a strange situation for him and for everyone with this that is going through the pandemic. In almost all tournaments we are confined, without being able to go out, now there is a certain audience … This affects him a little bit, he likes the connection with people. The preparation for the clay court season has also been very tough. It wasn’t easy, he had a great physical and mental pressure and I think he ended up a bit exhausted. There is no guide that tells you what is best about the calendar, but you have read what your body tells you and you know how it feels and we try to interpret what we see. In the end this was decided and I think it is the best to extend the race. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions and the whole team is supporting you “
Moyà confessed that the decision to resign Nadal does not lie in the defeat against Djokovic in the semifinals of Roland Garros, but that it has been an accumulation of several factors. “I don’t think the loss to Djokovic affected, but the whole clay-court season. There is one less week of preparation for Wimbledon, with the delay in dates in Paris. tournaments. In WImbledon you usually go to a house and now you have to stay in a hotel, you can’t go out … That weighs on you and tournaments get tough. If you add up, he has come to the conclusion that in order to stay on top longer, he needs to rest and be able to get to the US tour well. “
The coach also confessed that Nadal cannot play a tournament if he is not 100% to compete and also confessed that no one has asked him to make an effort to go to the Games. “The decision has emerged over the days, you are thinking and seeing how you feel and if you have the energy to go to play a Grand Slam. Rafa, for his prestige and his image, cannot go to a tournament if he is not 100% prepared % and thinks that the best thing is to rest and prepare well for the United States. He is very honest with himself. He consulted us, but the decision is made by him and we will always agree. I always prefer to play less than play more and that I end up burned. I do not know that someone asked him to make the effort to go to Tokyo but I understand that it was preferred that it was because it was a medal option.
Moyà also revealed that Nadal will play the Canadian Masters and the Cincinnati Masters before competing in the US Open. “In principle we will play the 1,000 Masters in Canada and Cincinnati. We have not defined the schedule but the goal is to get to New York as well as possible for the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, he has won it 4 times and it is a tournament that he is good at it. It will also be full of spectators, the atmosphere will be as if it were normal, and he feels very comfortable there. “
Moyà was also asked about the match between Nadal and Djokovic and analyzed that there were several key points that were decisive in the future of the match. “I think Djokovic did not do anything different. It was a match quite similar to the one they played in Rome. These matches are so fair that it is not normal for what happened in the final at Roland Garros in 2020 to happen. If you let me change the sign by two or three points in each game, each game would be won by Rafa. You have to be more successful in a series of points where, this time Djokovic was more successful. The set ball in the third set, not letting him react in the first set when Rafa won 5-0 and then Djokovic begins to dominate and from there Rafa is not successful with the serve and the backhand. In the end the player has to be successful and confident. In that aspect Djokovic was better tactically, he played Rafa the other way around, where it was less successful. Rafa made 90 unforced errors, something very unusual for him. We have to learn a lot from this game for the future and that it doesn’t happen again. He loses with Djokovic, who is the number 1 in the world, a great player and who was within the possibilities to lose with him “.
Finally, Moyà highlighted the mentality that Djokovic has shown in recent tournaments and hopes that the rivalry between the Serbian, Federer and Nadal will last. “You should never give up on Djokovic. We saw him in Australia, we saw him 5-0 in the first set, also in the final … You can never give up on him. He has an impressive mentality, great determination and a lot of hungry despite being up for many years. I think Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have made each other better and we have to continue to enjoy that rivalry. “