"It's impossible to beat Nadal's record of titles at Roland Garros" claims Moya
ATP
Rafael Nadal will play his 14th Roland Garros final on Sunday as he can win his 22nd Grand Slam title, and his coach, Carlos Moya, gave his insight prior to the final match.
In the final, the experienced Spaniard will take on Casper Ruud, who trained in his academy and admitted that Nadal is his idol. The young Norwegian is playing a great tournament, so it won't be an easy final for the Spaniard, but his coach warned about Nadal's experience when predicting the final for the ATP.
"There’s still work to be done and it’s the most important work, closing out the tournament. We’ll see how it goes Sunday, there is a lot of wear and tear but it’s the final push."
Naturally, Moya talked also about Nadal's semi-final match. It was an unfortunate win, as Alexander Zverev had to retire from the match before the second-set tie-break.
"It’s not the way you want to reach a final. We’re very sorry for [Alexander] Zverev and we wish him a speedy recovery. So far, Rafa has done an astonishing job of surviving without playing his best tennis. It was an epic effort up to the moment when Zverev was injured."
Although Nadal will be the favorite in the final match, his coach was very careful with his statements, recognizing Ruud's undeniable qualities.
"Those of us that are close to Rafa knows how good Casper is. We have a lot of respect for him and are anticipating a long and hard battle. He’s a player who knows the intricacies of this surface very well and it’s going to be a tough match. He’s very confident. He’s one of the best clay players on Tour. We expect a battle from the baseline, with long rallies."
"It’s not the easiest place to play your first Grand Slam final. And anything can happen. I won’t get tired of saying it; we’re talking about Roland Garros and Rafa Nadal. We haven’t spoken about number 22. Obviously, it’s on the horizon, but that would add pressure to Rafa. It’s not necessary."
"The fact that he has won 13 Roland Garros[titles], maybe 14 tomorrow, ... is practically impossible to beat. In 17 years, with all the injuries he’s had, he hasn’t spent a single week outside the Top 10 and has achieved all of that. It is incredible."
