“When he is required, Rafa does not fail”, assures Carlos Moyà
“There are still two games left for the maximum objective,” says the coach.
“We all know what is happening. Do not expect miracles,” highlights the former number 1
Another day at the office Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. Court number 26 of the charming tennis club that is next to the Jean Bouin stadium in Paris. It’s sunny. He looks concentrated. He Babolat’s racket sounds forceful when he throws the balls to Carlos Moyà y Marc López, on the other side of the network. Together with him, Francis Roigmakes technical comments.
Mounted on the fence of the street, dozens of fans try to see their training and take a photo with their mobile. Nadal moves without any problem in the foot, while Rafa Maymó, his physical therapist, in the shade controls every movement. In breaks to rest, they chat with him, his manager Charles Costa and the doctor Angel Ruiz Cotorro, the miracle man. Who takes care of his battered foot.
Nadal he ends his training after a long hour with a good, happy face. He crosses paths on the way out with Sergi Bruguera who enters the track with Alexander Zverev to prepare the match. Greetings, laughter and good vibes from all.
This Friday, when it’s time to jump to the Philippe Chatrier (not before 2:45 p.m., Eurosport), things will already be more serious. At stake will be the pass to the final. The fourteenth for Nadal since 2005.
Carlos Moyà attends to the special envoys of the Spanish press at the foot of the track. “Ask me one or two about the foot, maximum. We are in the semis and only talk about the foot,” the former world number 1 joked at the outset.
He looks calm, confident, like Nadal, but he knows that the work is not finished. “We are a little closer to the ultimate goal, but there are still two games to go,” she says.
“The miracle was in Australia”
After overcoming five matches and, especially, beating Novak Djokovica Moyà he looks relaxed. “The demand was maximum and he had to reach one hundred percent. Djokovic forces you to the maximum and he took it all out. When Rafa is demanded, he does not fail”, says Moyà.
The Balearic coach is not surprised by the performance of Nadal at Roland Garros. “I have a lot of faith in him and in his game. Historically, when he has been required, he has responded. It has been the most atypical clay court season of his career and I understand that it raised doubts”, highlights Moyà, who has led Nadal since November 2016.
His pupil and friend has given him reason to believe in miracles. “I’m not surprised at all what he’s doing here. The thing about Australia really surprised me. Because of the surface, because of the little preparation, and because of how the games went, with that comeback in the final, after more than five hours.”
Moyà it does not avoid the situation of the foot. “We all know what he’s going through. Don’t expect him to be playing with an amputated foot or a prosthetic either,” she jokes. “But he will tell you. Don’t expect miracles. We are going to assess the total miracle when this tournament ends, we don’t know where it will end or when,” Moyà stressed.
zverev, complicated
About tomorrow’s match against Beasts, the former number 1 expects “a very tough match against a very rocky player, who has gained confidence. A month ago I probably didn’t expect to be in the semi-finals here. Almost like Rafa.” After saving that mountain that was Djokovicthe next two games may seem like a formality, but Moyà highlights the Beasts. “He saved a match point in the second round. Alcaraz won in the quarterfinals, playing very good tennis. It’s going to be complicated.”
“There’s something about this court that makes him play 30% better,” says Zverev.
But I’m sure it looks much more complicated Beasts and that’s how he explained it when he saw him train for the first time at Roland Garros. “Suddenly his forehand is 30 kilometers faster. His feet move lighter. There is something about this court that makes him play 30% better just by being on it,” said the German tennis player.
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In their clashes Nadal dominates him 6-3 and on clay 4-1, the only time he was able to beat him on that surface was at the Caja Mágica last year (6-4, 6-4).
a victory of Nadal It will open the doors for you this Sunday, June 5, to opt for your 22nd Grand Slam and the 14th Roland Garros. For Beastsa victory, would allow him to rise to second place in the world and, if he wins the title, to number 1, ending the 372 weeks of Djokovic at the top of the ranking.