Carlos Moya claims he and Rafael Nadal never talk about possibility of winning 21st Slam, says he tries to take the pressure off Nadal's shoulders
Carlos Moya claims he and his charge Rafael Nadal have never discussed the possibility of the Spaniard breaking Roger Federer's all-time Grand Slam record at Roland Garros this year.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer currently have 20 Majors apiece, but the Spaniard is widely expected to surpass the Swiss by winning his 14th French Open title over the next fortnight.
Speaking to the ATP website, Moya explained that Nadal was aware of how close he was to making history, and that talking about it would only increase the pressure on the Mallorcan.
"None (when asked how many times he has discussed winning a 21st Major with Rafael Nadal)," Moya said. "Whenever he (Rafael Nadal) comes to Roland Garros there is a lot of pressure. It is true that now he is on the horizon.
"He is in a position to lead the ranking of tennis players with the most Grand Slam titles. But we try to take away the pressure, give him normality. And we do it by not talking about it, even though he knows he's there. Indeed, Rafa knows how to handle pressure very well."
Carlos Moya was then asked to pick a few players he thinks will have a good run in Paris. Moya named Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev as contenders and also said Aslan Karatsev had impressed him during training recently.
"Djokovic, Tsitsipas and could put Casper Ruud in that equation," Moya said. "We have to see how he manages the possibility of being able to go far, and I speak of quite far. Then there are Zverev, Rublev… I can't choose just three. Karatsev, for example, surprised me quite a bit the other day. I had seen him on television, but we trained with him, he was at the center and left a very good impression on me."
The 44-year-old added that Rafael Nadal was entering Roland Garros with no physical concerns.
"He arrives very well," added Moya. "We have combined games with more specific training sessions , as we usually do almost always."
"Perfection in tennis does not exist" - Carlos Moya on why Rafael Nadal needs to keep improving
Carlos Moya then shifted his focus to the areas he believes Rafael Nadal needs to work on. Moya insisted that no one was perfect and there was always room for improvement.
"These weeks we have tried to make the ball weigh him down, that the opponent cannot be leaning forward, that if the opponent plays a winner it is a risky shot," Moya explained. "Also to make changes with the forehand, open the backhand more towards the cross and continue to pay attention to the serve, which has improved since Monte Carlo."
"Perfection in tennis does not exist, and even the greats fail and make mistakes. Therefore, there is always margin to improve."
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