Nadal wants Federer’s scalp again
NEW YORK: Carlos Moya, the man who will take charge of Rafael Nadal’s coaching next year, is already looking forward to what he believes will be the world No 1’s next great challenge: to beat Roger Federer again.
Nadal, who won his 16th Grand Slam title when he crushed Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the US Open final here on Sunday night, has beaten Federer in 23 of their 37 meetings, but the Swiss has come out on top in all three of their encounters this year.
In terms of Grand Slam titles Nadal and Federer are finishing 2017 with honours even, the Spaniard having won the French and US Opens while his great rival won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Nadal has also beaten Federer in the race to reclaim the world No 1 spot, even if the Swiss could yet catch him in the closing weeks of the season.
Moya, who will work alongside Francisco Roig, a long-time member of Nadal’s entourage, when Toni Nadal steps down at the end of this year as his main travelling coach, said after Sunday’s final that the world No 1’s toughest loss in 2017 had been to Federer in the Australian Open final.
Federer went on to beat Nadal in their only two subsequent meetings, in the fourth round at Indian Wells and the final in Miami. The last time Nadal beat Federer was in the Australian Open semi-finals more than three and a half years ago.
Moya said that Nadal’s camp had fancied their chances against Federer in Melbourne. The Swiss had missed the last six months of 2016 because of a knee injury and had been taken to five sets in both his fourth-round and semi-final matches. However, Federer beat Nadal in another five-set marathon.
“In Miami we tried to change a few things, but it didn’t work,” Moya said. “It’s about evolving. When you lose two, three, four times to the same guy, you try to find something.
“Unfortunately – or maybe fortunately, I don’t know – we haven’t had the chance to play against Roger again since Miami, but we look forward to that. Rafa is prepared.
“For me as a tennis fan it’s one of the best matches you can see. I would love Rafa to play Roger. They make each other better. For Rafa, having that challenge is something that for sure makes you evolve, makes you improve. You try to look at some of the things that Federer is doing, because what he has done this year at 36 is unbelievable. You always try to learn from the top guys.”
Moya, who was been working with Nadal all year in anticipation of Toni’s retirement, said he had been encouraging the world No 1 to play more aggressively, to attack his opponents’ second serves more often and to be more relaxed on his own first serve.
“He has not been injured, which for me is key,” Moya said. “When you see the other players and how tough it has been for them to be healthy, that’s our main goal right now.”
Nadal did not win any Grand Slam titles between the 2014 and 2017 French Opens, largely because of a succession of physical issues. He has looked in superb shape this year, though Moya believes that he may not be as fast as he was.
“Rafa probably understands the game better now than when he was 20,” Moya said. “When he was 20 his physical condition was different. Now he is 31, you don’t have the same physical conditions and qualities, but you have to find a way to still be competitive.
“I think that understanding the game is the key as he tries to play at this level at this stage of his career. He is probably a bit slower than he was, but he understands, he anticipates, he plays the shot because he knows what shot he wants to hit next. It’s like a game of chess. He is trying to evolve.”
Moya, himself a former world No 1, said that finding a way to beat Dusan Lajovic and Taro Daniel as he struggled in the first two rounds here had been crucial to Nadal winning his third US Open title. “He was nervous at the beginning and probably felt the pressure, but then he won those two matches despite not playing at his best level. I think that was the turning point.” – The Independent