Nadal will play better than in Barcelona – TennisKafe

Carlos Moya has expressed confidence that Rafael Nadal will perform at an increasingly high level in the coming weeks. The “King of Glue” started his run in Madrid with an emphatic success over teenager Darwin Blanch, but now faces Alex De Minor, who knocked him out in Barcelona last week.

Matadora’s coaches, Carlos Moya and Mark Lopez, were guests in the studio of the Mutua Madrid Open, where they commented on what was happening around Matadora in recent days.

“We knew that yesterday’s match was an excellent opportunity for Rafa to get into a rhythm as Blanch would be under pressure. Nadal did exactly what he had to do – he took the match completely seriously and was very solid. As the match progressed, he started trying more and more things. Of course, at the moment we cannot reveal details and we will tell you as little as possible,” commented Moya with a smile.

When asked if these were Nadal’s last matches as a professional, the former No. 1 replied: “Everything passes. People still get a chance to see him on the court and experience his magic. We must give him the respect he deserves. Many people do not know him personally, but love him as a member of their family. We should enjoy Nadal’s time on the court and cherish it, because what he has achieved will not be repeated in the near future. He’s enjoying it too, because the adrenaline of matches is one of the things you miss the most after you retire.”

“Normally I don’t accompany Rafa when he comes on or off the court, but now I do because it’s amazing to see and feel the love people have for him. He’s one of the legends of tennis and he won’t be playing much longer, so these matches are very emotional.”

The 1998 Roland Garros champion is sure that in the upcoming clash with Alex De Minor, his graduate will perform better than last week in Barcelona.

“This match will be different because in Barcelona Rafa was definitely not ready to face a player like Alex. Our expectations are realistic, but we have grounds for optimism as Nadal has been training non-stop for the past 8 days. He spends more and more time on the court and his physical condition gradually improves. I think tomorrow’s match between him and De Minor will be a lot more contested. We have no way of knowing if Rafa will win, but we are sure that from a playing point of view he will be at a significantly higher level than at Barcelona.”

Marc Lopez echoed Moya’s words, saying that results are of secondary importance to Nadal and his team at the moment.

“The results are not the most important thing at the moment. The main priority is for Nadal to feel good on the court. People who love him want him to participate in the tournaments not only for a farewell, but because he can still be competitive and show a good game. I think we have more such moments ahead of us. He remains motivated and trains with great dedication. I hope he says goodbye to tennis as he deserves. Rafa has pleasantly surprised us many times and it is possible that he will do it again this year,” said the doubles champion from Roland Garros 2016.

“Rafa always wants to be at 100 percent and win, whether it’s tennis, golf or board games. He’s not at his best right now, which is normal, but we keep telling him he’s doing better than he thinks. Although glue is his favorite surface, it is also very physically demanding and we try to find ways for him to play with as little energy as possible. Every day he’s progressing a little bit and we continue to follow the big goal – Rafa to be in his best possible form at Roland Garros.”

The match between Nadal and De Minor is the third in tomorrow’s “Manolo Santana” program and will not start before 17:00.