“He had some game characteristics that now he does not,” Carlos Moya sheds light on Rafael Nadal’s record at US Open over the years
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Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya
Rafael Nadal is on his way to achieving his third Grand Slam of the year and his 23rd singles Grand Slam title overall as he cruises comfortably into the Round of 16 after defeating the Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets at the 2022 US Open continuing with his winning streak as he is at 22-0 win-loss record until his third round win.
Nadal had a weird and unfortunate injury on his nose during the second-round clash against Fabio Fognini. During the fourth set, he stretched his arm to a backhand return by Fognini which he did but soon, the racquet hit on the court and got a major bounce which hit him hard on his nose that left him bleeding. But it did not deter his confidence and focus at the Arthur Ashe stadium since he has been one of the consistent players at the Grand Slam events this year.
The Spaniard was aiming for a calendar Grand Slam until his injury during his quarter-final match at the 2022 Wimbledon Championship followed by his withdrawal from the semi-final clash against Nick Kyrgios put brakes on his way to achieve another record. He skipped playing at the Montreal Open in order to get adequate rest and get recovered keeping in view of the final Grand Slam event of the year.
“That was a great version but also now,”Carlos Moya compares Rafael Nadal’s 2010 and 2022 US Open performances
Nadal made his debut in the year 2003 but won his first title at the US Open in 2010. Carlos Moya, former Spanish player and also the coach of Rafael Nadal, during an interview with the ATP Tour upon being asked about Nadal’s performances over the years at the US Open said “They are different times and the physical change is very great. In 2010, he had some game characteristics that now he does not because he has had to modify them due to circumstances. That was a great version, but also now.”
He further added that “If he had continued to play as he did in 2010 he wouldn’t be as competitive and possibly he would be retired. Everyone on the team would love to have a fresh Rafa, at 22 years old, but we have to adapt to a body and a head. He has better things than before, others worse. He has had to evolve to remain competitive in 2022.“
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)