French Open Bigger Priority than World Number 1 for Nadal: Moya

Rafael Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya has insisted that Nadal’s top priority is winning an 11th French Open title and not another Federer battle.

The current world No 1, Nadal, needs to win the Barcelona Open and reach the Rome final next month to consolidate his position over Federer.

Fortunately, the Spaniard has amassed plenty of points to defend his crown on the clay leg of the ATP Tour. Meanwhile, Federer is taking a break once again and skipping the clay court season entirely.

Rafa too, has just returned from a long injury break. Since then, he promptly won the Monte Carlo Masters last weekend.

However, coach Moya says that the world No 1 and the Federer battle is not his compatriot’s primary focus.

“For us, right now, this is secondary,” Moya said.

“The idea is to keep the No 1. That circumstance occurs (if he wins in Barcelona) but is not quite the same in Rome as he has room to add (points).

“If he does well in Rome, I can see him staying No 1. And if he keeps playing like that, I think so too.

“In any case, the No 1 is a consequence of the day to day, of training and playing well, of being healthy, of resting. We give much more importance to that.

“We know that if all this is done well, the No 1 ranking will be a consequence of that day to day.

“Now we are worried about Barcelona. We will go week to week because we know that Paris is on the horizon.”

The French Open is scheduled to commence from May 28th onwards and Nadal is defending 2000 ranking points at Roland Garros.

The 31-year old has fully recovered from a hip injury in time for the clay season. Moya is confident that his ward is ready to compete at a Grand Slam again.

“If Roland Garros was next week, it would be perfect for us,” he added.

“We are not afraid of that.

“We know that there are tournaments during this time and we are going to face them all with enthusiasm.”