22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal, 36, recently shed tears publicly alongside legendary Roger Federer during the career-ending event for the Swiss player in London a few days ago, but it does not mean the meek side of him as Carlos Moya, one of his former coaches, believes just the opposite.
Moya’s perspective on Nadal somehow reminded us all that the Spanish Raging Bull might be a fusion of ice and fire.
Why did Carlos Moya compare Rafael Nadal with past players?
Following the struggling performances at Flushing Meadows earlier this month, Rafael Nadal may have lost his form due to a lack of physical wellness or may have some other issues. However, Carlos Moya denies all these allegations as he strongly said that it is a matter of time for the King of Clay to make a prolific return in the coming year.
Rafael Nadal is now widely considered one of tennis’ all-time greats who is also an important member of the prominent ‘Big Three’ alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Furthermore, this Spaniard’s career has been plagued by injuries, but he has always bounced back strongly. In spite of missing the second half of the last year due to injury, he has made a remarkable recovery this year, winning not only the French Open and the Australian Open but also a number of other tournaments across the planet with total dominance over the opponents.
Beginning with the 2017 season, Carlos Moya became a member of the Nadal coaching staff and in addition to reaching the Australian Open final, Nadal won the French Open and the US Open that year where the Spaniard had an immediate effect. More surprisingly, Swedish veteran Bjorn Borg and former American star John McEnroe, two tennis greats, were previously compared to Nadal by Moya on several occasions.
In Rafa: My Story, the autobiography of Rafael Nadal, Moya discussed how Nadal assimilated two characteristics that are diametrically opposed to those shown by Borg and McEnroe; also coach Moya revealed that few special qualities can be seen on the King of Clay which can not be seen on others.
Moya’s notion for Nadal can be found on the above book where he actually explained, “The secret of the tremendous appeal he has worldwide, is that you can see he is as passionate as McEnroe was, but he has the self-control of Borg, the cold-blooded killer. To be both in one is a contradiction, and that’s what Rafa is.”
Apart from the cold-blooded attitude, Nadal is a loving husband who recently decided to give more time to his pregnant wife in their home in Mallorca, Spain.
