The coach of Rafael Nadal remains cautious about his latest injury setback despite playing down the severity of it.
Carlos Moya has told Punto de Break that the former world No.1 is improving ahead of his next tournament at the Qatar Open in Doha next month. Nadal returned to action at the start of the season following a lengthy hiatus due to a hip injury. At the Brisbane International, he beat Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler before losing in the quarter-finals to Jordan Thompson.
It was shortly after Nadal’s clash with Thompson that he suffered yet another setback which ruled him out of the Australian Open. He was forced to pull out of that event due to a micro tear in one of his muscles. An issue that Moya says is gradually getting better over time.
“It’s improving. We are being cautious. Where we come from, we have to be careful. We are slowly starting to train again,” he said.
“It wasn’t serious, but it was serious enough to not play the Australian Open, which was one of the big goals he had.
“The injury itself is not serious, it can happen, but when you come from where you come from, with those hard months you have had and seeing yourself so close to returning to a very decent version, it is a shame.”
Injury issues are nothing new for Nadal who has been hampered by various problems throughout his career. He has been forced to miss 11 major events due to various injuries and has a chronic foot condition called Muller-Weiss Syndrome which affects the adult navicular bone. The Spaniard has also suffered issues with his back, wrist, abdomen and rib.
Given Nadal’s history and the fact he is now 37, did Moya have any fears about his latest comeback?
“I knew that I was not going to see a loss of level or physicality, my fear was knowing what was going to happen in tough and demanding matches.” He explained.
“We did a lot of simulation in three-hour training sessions or playing several sets, but the competition is another story. You don’t have that extra tension and it shows, especially after a year (of not playing) and at this point in your career. It is normal that there are these steps backwards in adapting to competition.”
According to Nadal’s coach, he estimates that it will take him around 10 matches before he can get back to his top form. Nadal has previously said his goal is to be back to his best in time for the clay swing. So far in his career, he has won 92 ATP titles with 22 of those being at Grand Slam tournaments.
“He won the first two matches (of 2024) well and almost beat a player who almost beat Tsitsipas in Australia the following week. That is, of a high level.” Moya commented.
“I think that, after one match, I have no doubts about the level that Rafa can offer. What is missing is knowing what would happen if one day you play a Top (player), win and play another tomorrow. He has not yet experienced that rhythm of competition and we are missing that.”
As for how much longer will continue playing, Moya refuses to weigh in on the speculation.
“He has earned the right to decide how, where and when he wants to retire. Despite his situation, which has changed by having a child, he wants to continue competing in this way.” He concluded.
