"It's clear it's not a goal" - Moya on Nadal being no. 1

Rafael Nadal's goal, according to Carlos Moya, is to remain healthy and play his best tennis, not to be ranked first.

After Nadal lost at the US Open on Monday, the battle for the top spot in the rankings got another twist. The Spaniard is still one of three players vying for the top spot in the ATP rankings, though but his chances are lower now that he's out of the event.

Nadal still has a chance to reclaim the top spot for the first time since February 2020 if neither Carlos Alcaraz nor Casper Ruud advance to the US Open final. Ruud is already in the semi-final with Alcaraz battling for a spot in the semi-final later today.

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“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. 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.” said his coach Carlos Moya explaining that getting to number one is and never was a goal for him.

Nadal himself admitted that he was simply not well prepared enough for the US Open and beaten by a 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.”

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