"It's clear it's not a goal" - Moya on Nadal being no. 1
ATP
Rafael Nadal wants to remain healthy and competitive and not chase the ATP World No. 1 spot, according to his coach, Carlos Moya.
After winning the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the season, Nadal was the top favorite to finish the 2022 season as the World No. 1 player. On top of that, there were no points awarded at Wimbledon.
That means that Novak Djokovic, who won the event, lacks the 2,000 points he would have won at the event. That further boosted Nadal's chances of becoming the top-ranked player.
However, after the Spaniard lost in the fourth round of the 2022 US Open to Frances Tiafoe, his chances of reaching the World No. 1 rank decreased.
To become the World No. 1 player for the first time since February 2020, Nadal would need both Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud to lose before the final at the US Open.
Although being the No. 1 would certainly be something that Nadal would be happy about, it's not his main goal, as his coach, Carlos Moya, revealed.
“Being number one again has a lot of value; ending the year at the top of the rankings, even more so. If you look at his schedule, it’s clear that it’s not a goal."
Moya explained that at this stage of Nadal's career, his main goal is to stay healthy in order to be able to compete at Grand Slam tournaments.
"The most important thing for him is looking after his body and being well for the Grand Slams. But if it’s put in front of him, of course, we’ll go for it."
When speaking after the loss, Nadal himself seemed to be very reasonable. He recognized that Tiafoe was simply the better player.
"At the end the only thing that happened is we went to the fourth round of the US Open and I faced a player that was better than me. And that's why I am having a plane back home."
