Don't know if there is any player in history who has won a Grand Slam in the condition Rafael Nadal was in at French Open 2022: Carlos Moya
Rafael Nadal's coach, Carlos Moya, has shared his thoughts on the former's remarkable triumph at the 2022 French Open.
Nadal put together an exceptional 2022 season, winning two Grand Slam titles. He clinched his second Australian Open title by securing a hard-fought five-set victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final, marking his 21st Major title.
Subsequently, despite grappling with a stress fracture in his rib prior to the clay court Major and battling a chronic foot injury, the Spaniard persevered to claim his record 14th French Open title, defeating Casper Ruud in the final.
Carlos Moya was recently asked whether Nadal's win over Medvedev ranked as his greatest victory in recent years. While Moya expressed his appreciation for the Spaniard's performance in the Australian Open final, he contended that the 37-year-old's triumph at the French Open was even more impressive.
"Medvedev, the Roland Garros he won that year... I know the conditions in which he arrives, I know how he is in each match, I see what he has and what he does. I don't know if in the history of tennis there is any player who has won a Grand Slam in the conditions in which Rafa was at Roland Garros," he told ATP Tour ES (Translated from Spanish).
The former World No. 1 also disclosed that while Nadal was enthusiastic about returning to compete at Roland Garros in 2024, there were still lingering uncertainties regarding his level and fitness that needed to be cleared up in time for the clay court season.
"It is clear that Roland Garros has always been his fetish tournament and in this case nothing changes. It is also clear that there are six months left, we have to see how he gets there, we have to see the games he has played, his level, his competitiveness," he said.
"There are many unknowns that time will clear up, but it is clear that Roland Garros is a tournament that he is very excited about, like the entire clay court season, which is his favorite time of year," he added.
Rafael Nadal's coach Carlos Moya on the Spaniard's comeback: "It hasn't been a bed of roses, far from it"
Rafael Nadal is set to make his comeback at the Brisbane International in January, ending his nearly year-long absence. The Spaniard had been sidelined since sustaining a hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open.
Nadal's coach Carlos Moya shed light on his comeback journey, revealing that it had been a very slow process marked by incremental progress.
"And when we start and have been playing for a month and a half or two, and we see that the progression is very slow... you don't know if it is slower than expected or not because it is the first time we were in a situation like this," he said in the same interview.
Moya also disclosed lingering doubts about the 22-time Grand Slam champion's body holding up, emphasizing that the journey has been far from easy.
"But you do see that you have your doubts, and in the player's head there are also doubts: will the body respond? Will it be able to withstand the loads? There are many questions that arise. It hasn't been a bed of roses, far from it. It has been a quite twisty and winding road, with many curves," he added.