Rafael Nadal’s ability to strategise his shot-making gives him a competitive edge but that approach is starting to die out in professional tennis, according to his coach Carlos Moya.
Moya, who is a former world No.1 player himself, believes his compatriot has managed to achieve so much success on the court due to how he handles different scenarios during a match. This season Nadal drew level for most Grand Slam titles won by a male player at 20 after triumphing at the French Open. Overall, he has achieved a win-loss record of 27-7 and reached the quarter-finals or better at every tournament he played in which helped him secure the year-end No.2 spot behind Novak Djokovic.
“There is always room for strategy. Rafa is a good example of this because he has a wide range of possibilities within his game and that is to be appreciated when building the points strategically,” Moya told Libertas Digital.
“At a general level, we (Nadal’s team) try to adapt to the surfaces and conditions that we face in each tournament. If you watch a Rafa match in London, you can see big differences from what he did a month before at Roland Garros.”
Although Nadal’s mentor admits that changes in the sport over recent years has made the process of strategising rallies less important due to the length of rallies decreasing. Leaving players with less time to plan their shots. However, Moya believes his team still has an advantage.
“It is true that this sense of adaptability and strategy is being lost. The players hit harder each time, the points last less and depending on the opponent you play against, you hardly have room for strategy during the point,” he said.
“The good thing is that Rafa does continue to do it and it is something that makes him different from the rest. He has different plans as the game progresses and he can read very well what to do during the clash. Knowing how to read what happens in the middle of the game, not afterwards, is what differentiates the very good from the rest.”
According to data published by the ATP on October 5th, Nadal won 60% (652/1092) of rallies that lasted between five and eight over a two-year period (2018-2020). The highest among all players on the men’s tour. He also won 55% (412/745) of rallies that lasted longer than nine shots during the same period which was the fifth best on Tour.
Moya is currently with Nadal training during the off-season. They will start the 2021 season in Australia where the start dates of the tournaments are still up in the air. Tennis Australia is currently in negotiations with the Victorian government and has said a plan will be finalised ‘very soon.’ Moya admits the uncertainty has made the usual planning for the season ahead tough.
“These are changes that we are getting to know and of which we are more or less up to date, but with this COVID, at the moment, not many plans can be made,” he explains.
“Right now what we know is that, to this day, you cannot go to Australia until January and for that and other reasons there are many things in the air. We still do not even know what the evolution of the virus will be and that is why we must be vigilant and open to any type of event.”
Moya has been a member of Nadal’s coaching team since December 2016.
