Rafael Nadal’s coach in a ‘period of mourning’ as he reveals when legend ‘realised this is going to be his last year’
Carlos Moya admits it will take him a while to get over Rafael Nadal’s retirement as he opened up about the moment that the Spaniard realised he was ready to retire.
The two former world No 1s first became friends when they were playing junior tennis in Spain, later they became rivals as they were both competing on the ATP Tour, but they remain good friends.
After his retirement, Moya joined Nadal’s coaching staff and he was part of the team that won eight Grand Slams (five at Roland Garros, two at the US Open and one at the Australian Open) as the tennis great became the first player to win 22 majors.
But their journey on the tennis circuit will come to an end after the 2024 Davis Cup Finals as Nadal has announced the tournament will be his final as a professional.
It will be the end of an era although Moya admits there was some “relief” when Nadal finally made the decision.
“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,” he said in an interview with Radioestadio Noche. “The only way to feel something similar would be to train a son.”
He added: “In part it may be a relief after these last two years that have been hard for him.”
Nadal has struggled with injury since the start of the 2023 season as he injured his hip at the Australian Open and later required surgery. That operation ruled him out for the remainder of the year and, although he made a comeback at the start of the 2024 campaign, he was never really 100% again.
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The 38-year-old played only one Grand Slam tournament, his beloved Roland Garros, this year but lost in the first round against Alexander Zverev.
“At Roland Garros, we had a conversation and he asked me if I thought he should retire or hold back a bit,” Moya said.
“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.”
He returned to Paris a few months later for the 2024 Olympics, but then lost in the second round against Novak Djokovic and that defeat was the catalyst for the decision.
Moya added: “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,” he said.
“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.”
