Carlos Moya believes Rafael Nadal will always be the favourite at French Open – Tennis News
Former world number one, Carlos Moya of Spain, thinks that King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, will always remain favourite at the French Open and break many more records in the future.
The Spanish legend thinks that there was never a better player than Nadal on the slowest surface and his compatriot has an edge over his rivals on clay.
Moya said, “I believe there has never been a better player than Rafa on clay. Today’s tennis players are all-rounders, they’re like 4WDs that can go anywhere. But Rafa will always have an edge on clay. He’ll always be the favourite
at Roland Garros. He’s still got a lot of records in him.”
Nadal has an unbelievable record at the French Open, as he has already won six titles in his last seven appearances. Considering only the records in open era, the Spaniard is tied with Bjorn Borg in the race of most Roland Garros
crowns. The 25-year-old’s only loss at his hunting ground came in 2009, when he was surprised by Robin Soderling in the fourth round.
Currently ranked second in the world, Nadal is the favourite to capture this year’s title. He has entered the French Open in supreme form, winning crowns at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and Internazionali
BNL d’Italia.
The Spaniard started his campaign at this year’s championship against Simone Bolelli of Italy, beating his lower ranked opponent in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round.
Moya, who is also from Mallorca, shared memory of his match against Nadal at the 2007 French Open. He said, “In 2007, I played against Rafael Nadal in the quarter finals, on a surface he came to dominate. It’s amazing to think
I knew him when he was a kid in Mallorca. What a player! Both of us have been world number one, and both of us come from the same island. It’s strange.”
Moya was himself a very good play on clay courts, winning his only Grand Slam crown at the French Open in 1998. The 35-year-old also recalled his memories of that tournament, when he fulfilled his childhood dream to win his favourite
Major.
Ranked 14th at that time, Moya had entered the Roland Garros with the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters title under his belt. Facing third seed, Marcelo Rios, in the quarter-finals, the Spaniard upset him in four sets and went
on to win the crown.
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