ARTICLES:
- “Much better than Rafael Nadal expected” – Spaniard ‘convinced’ of competitive edge after training with Arthur Fils in Kuwait, says coach Carlos Moya | sportskeeda.com
“He obviously knows that now he is still not at his best level, but that little by little he is going to acquire it. That’s part of our job too. These days in Kuwait we have trained with Fils, and the truth is that it was very good, much better than he could have expected,” he told ATP Tour ES (Translated from Spanish).
“Rafa came there thinking that he was not going to be competitive, that he was not going to be up to the task and he leaves convinced that he may be,” he added.
- Rafael Nadal’s Return To Grand Slam Tennis Still A Concern For Coach Moya | ubitennis.net
“Rafa is going to go from training, which he is doing very well, to competing. And it is impossible to have the same conditions in training as in a match,” Moya said during an interview with the ATP. “Playing the best of five sets, win, rest, return to the court two days later… That is the doubt I have right now, especially for a Grand Slam. But we have time. If the Australian Open started tomorrow, it would be a real fear. There is still a month left, a tournament before in Brisbane, demanding training… I think all of this will put him in a position to be able to endure it. But right now that’s my fear.”
Although he can play using the protected ranking in his first nine tournaments upon his return, that will not prevent him from being able to play against very strong opponents from the first round…” Moya commented. “It is clear that the draws are going to play an important role in the return, especially because we want him to play games. I have never been of the thought that Rafa needs rhythm because he is too good for that, but now the situation is different. We are interested in him playing games, that he can win them to complete that level.”
- Rafael Nadal ‘thought first Grand Slam was going to be the only one’ | tennishead.net
“When I was a kid, I never said to myself ‘I want to win a Grand Slam, I want to win Grand Slams, I want to be the best’,” explained Nadal. “I was thinking about the tournament of the next week.”
He continued, “And when I won my first Grand Slam [Roland Garros 2005], I thought it was going to be the only one I’d win. And then, every time, I won a Grand Slam. I was amazed, I thought, now I can really relax. It’ll probably be my last one. Now I’ve achieved something and that’s already huge.”
VIDEO: Rafa’s last practice session in Kuwait
Social media related to Rafa:
Rafa entertains his son during practice session in Kuwait
What a sweet interaction. It’s lovely to see Rafa Jr watching his dad practice on court, even though he may not understand. It’s all about capturing precious moments.
How inspiring to have Mery and baby Rafa at practice-tres adorable💕Rublev has
always been very respectful towards Rafa-scary tough on himself! Great to see Rafa
smiling and hitting out on court. What a beautiful facility👍
Not worried re Santa whether he pays a visit to me or not…My Christmas Wish is to my HERO back where he rightly belongs. So please let me grant my only wish that Rafa can play as much as he is comfortable with in 2024. Vamos my Champio. Feliz Navidad 🇪🇦🇪🇦☘☘☘☘
Counting the days❤️