“I Don’t Think it Can Be Taught” – Carlos Moya Explains Daily Struggles of Rafael Nadal

‘Big Three’ of the tennis world certainly belong to a different planet. Even in their thirties, they are dominating the sport and do not seem likely to slow down in the near future. In a recent interview with Alex Corretja, Carlos Moya spoke about the exceptional winning spirit amongst the players namely,  Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.   

Moya compared his time to the present one, and how all three of them are utterly motivated to raise the bar in tennis. “I mentioned, I was objective-based but in the end, they were just goals that I would achieve, and then I was demotivated. My goal wasn’t to win five Grand Slams, it was to win one Grand Slam. It was to be number one, not number one for several years. Then I was empty, I lacked ambition. I was comfortable with the goals I achieved and then I fell down immediately,” he said. 

“I see that hunger Rafael Nadal has” – Carlos Moya 

But this is not the case with present players now. They are ambitious, focused, and diligently work towards achieving a higher niche. Being close to the 19-time Grand Slam champion Nadal,  Moya talked about the insatiable hunger that Rafa still has in him to achieve more in his career.

“With Rafa, I see that hunger he has, being at this stage of his career regardless of what he has already achieved. What he goes through, I live day by day with him. I see how he struggles mentally during the year. And when the moment comes, he gets this strength I don’t know where from,” he added.

“I don’t think it can be taught, it is in his genes. If someone knew how to teach that, you could coach them. Maybe you can lead him in some way but there’s something innate that allows the Big Three to keep making history in their careers.”

Also, whenever they win, the three of them enjoy a short celebration. And right after that, they start focusing on their next tournament. They have an objective to get better with each passing day, which simply sets them apart from the rest.

Despite being near-invincible, they work hard on the practice courts to maintain their level in the sport. “That’s what I admire the most about him and these great players. They win a tournament and they are already thinking of the next competition. That’s what separates them from us mortals,” Moya said.