Before starting the 2022 season singles journey, ATP Spanish official website as usual got an exclusive interview with Nadal coach Moya, about the long foot injury recovery, about the thrilling infection of the new crown, Moya said that Nadal's strong willpower is amazing, and now they are ready for the Australian season, they also firmly believe that Nadal can return to peak form!
ATP: How has the past five months been?
Moya: We've been through a lot of uncertain moments because there's no progress in recovering from a foot injury. For a player like Nadal who is so eager to compete, it is not easy to be reimbursed for the season so early. We visited the doctor many times and received a lot of treatment, but it wasn't until last month that there was a noticeable improvement.
We don't know how it will turn out after his comeback, there have been a lot of tough moments, but Nadal has amazing willpower and we're happy to see him play in Melbourne and he's best prepared for that.
ATP: Was this the toughest time since you joined the coaching team?
MOYA: Probably, one of the most difficult moments I've had since he was coached. When we first joined the team, we suffered from a knee injury, but Nadal's foot injury was the most complicated, he has handled it well over the past few years, but now it is gradually limiting his game, and the 2021 season is starting to get more complicated.
ATP: What was your role during this time?
Moya: It's more of a friend's role, you need to listen to understand the condition, with a lot of empathy to find solutions, give him time and space, and support him all the time. The experience of a professional player has given me a better understanding of his mental struggles, because 35 years old and 20 years old are completely different, and you may see the problem as more serious than it actually is. At 20, you know there must be a solution, but at 35, you don't see it so clearly.
ATP: And a few days before I left for Australia, I suddenly got the coronavirus...
Moya: It was really hard, when we arrived in Mallorca, we got a positive nucleic acid test result, and it felt like the hard work of the past few months had all gone in vain. The new season is near, and our goal is close, but the sudden setback, we don't know what will happen.
We know the Australian Open is coming soon, but the key tactic is to play a warm-up before the Australian Open, after all, we haven't played in such a long time. I'm not the kind of person who plays for the sake of playing, but the situation is completely different now, And Nadal has been away from the field for 5 months.
Nadal's willpower has always been amazing, and when he said he was recovering from a condition that lasted for several days, we immediately decided to continue with our original plan.
ATP: How serious was the illness at the time?
Moya: I had a very hard day and a half, the illness was like the flu, but it was a little harder on the mental level, because you know it's a completely different disease, plus the state of the global epidemic in the past year and a half, and I have transmitted the virus to everyone in the family, and the child's illness is fine, but my wife also has a very serious reaction, so it is not easy overall.
We were infected with the Omicron virus, which would theoretically be milder, and although the symptoms shown on us were severe, they lasted a short time, and the timely recovery allowed us to come to Melbourne smoothly.
ATP: So Nadal is ready for the game?
MOYA: Yeah, he's always the one who's the best prepared, even though it's been a long time since he's played, and I'm pretty sure he's doing a great job right now.
ATP: Aren't you worried that the foot injury will cause trouble again?
Moya: We've worked hard, I'm a positive person, I'd rather not think about the parts that might go wrong, all I'm focused on is that we're already in Australia, and the Melbourne warm-up is a good thing for him to get him to do a good physical test before the first Grand Slam tournament.
ATP: In previous offseasons, you've focused on improving performance on certain levels, but how is this offseason different?
MOYA: Actually, there are a lot of training sessions, and we can't do anything. After playing in Washington, Nadal completely rested for two months, which was a long time, and you can't expect to recover in 2 days.
Even after receiving treatment, his left foot still hurts and has problems, which is why some training can only last for thirty or forty minutes, and he can only hit the ball in place. We've been trying to get back to what Nadal is good at, but it's really hard to improve in such a short period of time and so little training.
ATP: Mark Lopez has also joined Nadal's team, what is the goal of this adjustment?
Moya: It's always good news to update the squad, you need to find someone who can bring you something, Mark knows Nadal very well, he knows tennis very well, he will give different voices based on his experience, and it's nice to have fresh faces to give different opinions. I'm pretty sure of that, and I think Mark can do the coaching role well, he's a good reinforcement, and Roig will continue to be on the coaching staff as usual.
ATP: What is your overall perception of the Tour right now?
MOYA: It's basically the same, although it's been 5 months, but nothing unexpected has happened. Medvedev's victory in the US Open and Zverev's victory in the Finals are all predictable and not amazing big news. So basically, if Nadal can get back to his best, he has a chance to win any tournament.
ATP: So when will he get back to his peak?
Moya: You need to accumulate status in the game, no one can get back to the top just by training, even if you are in good shape on the training ground, you need to bring it to the game. We are confident that his experience in the Melbourne warm-up will help him better prepare for the upcoming Australian Open."
ATP: Usually Nadal always plays great after coming back from injury, but for others it may not recover so quickly...
MOYA: It's possible to swallow a defeat after a comeback, but we're trying to avoid that, and if he can be ready and play well, it's unlikely to happen.
But there's always going to be a bad signing, a bad game, but we know Nadal's level, and from historical experience, he can always get back to the top after an injury comeback, and we're sure he can do it this time too!
ATP: The last concluding question, we have always been amazed at Nadal's ability to face setbacks...
Moya: Of course there will be moments of problems, but Nadal is an incredible fighter, and with a little bit of recovery, all he wants is to move on and try to compete at the highest level. Some players may consider retiring when they don't see hope, but I've never seen that in Nadal.