MANACOR — Had Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner been born a decade earlier, Rafael Nadal would almost certainly not have won 14 Roland Garros titles. That is the view of Carlos Moyà, former world No. 1 and one of the people who knows the man who broke every record on Parisian clay best.
“Alcaraz on clay is the best in the world right now, whether he wins Roland Garros or not. In a single match, Alcaraz can obviously beat Rafa. Best-of-five at Roland Garros, on that court, because of history and playing style, I think Rafa would be the favorite. But Alcaraz can perfectly well beat Rafa on any given day. And Sinner can too,” Moyà pointed out in an interview with CLAY.
The 1998 Roland Garros champion and world No. 1 a year later, Moyà is enjoying his new life. After years of traveling alongside Nadal as his coach, he isn’t even considering a return to the tour right now. He wants to spend time with his family, live, and squeeze every minute without worrying about flights, tournaments, and rivals.
“Of course projects and calls have come in, but right now I haven’t even delved into that. In the near future, I have no intention of returning to the tour,” Moyà said during a conversation with CLAY on the sidelines of the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam, which he played a few weeks ago in Manacor.
– Do you miss coaching?
– Well… I’m not really one to miss things, but you do look back with nostalgia. All those years we spent together, the day-to-day, the routine, training together. Obviously, you look at that with a bit of nostalgia for an era that has passed. But we are in a new chapter of our lives—him in his, and me in mine. I enjoyed it immensely and it was a super positive experience for me.
– You mentioned nostalgia. Do you look back with more nostalgia on the big tournaments and major finals, or do you cherish the day-to-day, those more intimate moments?
– A bit of both, but as I said, I’m not really one to miss things much when I look back. I’ve always tried to think that life goes on. You have to look forward, and I’m fortunate to have wonderful future projects, both family-related and experiential. When I retired as a player, I saw it as something that had already happened. A life of mine that was incredible, what I dreamed of since I was a kid, but then a new chapter opened up. Now it’s quite similar. Obviously, I think I had the best job in the world, which was being on Rafa’s team. I say that because of everything that existed on an emotional level, because of the long relationship between us. We went through every possible phase, and it was a beautiful thing. But I always try to look forward. The person you are today is the sum of the experiences you’ve lived in the past. I look at it as something that was incredible, very special, that happened, and that’s it. Now I look ahead, I have other goals pending, and I’m going after them.
– When Nadal retired, you said you needed to observe a period of grieving before coaching again. But two years have passed, and you haven’t returned. Is the grief still ongoing, or do you just not feel like it anymore?
– I wouldn’t say I’m still grieving. The grief has passed; we don’t need to dwell on it. I also didn’t feel it was right on my part to jump in with someone else right after finishing with Rafa. I didn’t feel it, and I didn’t feel capable mentally, physically, or in any other way. But once the grief passes, I’ve found a wonderful life. I’m having a great time, spending a lot of time with my family, my kids, my wife, traveling with them, having time for myself. In the end, what I’ve been able to buy is time. And I love enjoying that time to do different things. That’s where I am right now; I don’t know what will happen in six months or a year. For now, I can tell you I’m very comfortable like this, and in the near future, I have no intention of returning to the tour.
– Are you still affiliated with the Nadal Academy?
– No, right now I have no affiliation with anyone.
– If you were to take on a project, would you prefer an established player or would you rather bet on someone young with high potential?
– Over these past two years, projects have come my way. Of course calls and offers have come. But right now I haven’t even gone deep into conversations with anyone because over these two years it’s been clear to me that I wasn’t ready to go back on tour. I didn’t have the energy, and on top of that, I have other things taking me in a different direction. For now, I haven’t even considered whether it’s a 15-year-old kid or a Top 10 player. Right now, I don’t see myself returning to the tour.
– Not even with someone offering a light travel schedule?
– Doing six or seven weeks a year with someone just doesn’t work, in my opinion. And I’ve been offered that too. People have told me, “We’ll come to Mallorca and you spend a couple of weeks with us,” but I don’t think something like that works. For it to work, you need to spend a minimum of 15 to 20 weeks together, and it’s not just that—it’s a job where you have to be plugged in 24 hours a day. Even if I’m not traveling, I have to be watching matches, talking to the player… Right now, I feel I don’t have that energy. I’m recharging batteries, so to speak—whether that’s to come back one day or to be done with the tour permanently, I don’t know. What might happen in two, three, or five years, I honestly don’t know.
– Do you still watch tennis?
– I’ll tell you that I don’t change any plans to watch tennis, nor do I usually sit down to watch it. Not because I don’t like current tennis, but because of my current situation. Keep in mind that I traveled for eight consecutive years, ending with Rafa’s retirement, so I didn’t really feel like being around tennis, watching many matches, or following it closely. I don’t watch tennis because of that, but it has nothing to do with the current generation of players. I love how they play. If there’s a Sinner-Alcaraz match, I try to watch it. But if I already had something planned with my family that day, I won’t change it. I’m watching very little tennis, honestly. I keep up with results because it’s been my life, so I’m curious enough to check scores.
– What is the last full match you watched?
– I honestly don’t know if I’ve watched a single full match this year. I watch very specific moments—maybe a fifth set or a stretch of a match—but very little tennis overall. I insist it’s not because of the players; they are incredible athletes playing top-tier tennis, and it’s fun to watch. Some more than others, obviously. But right now, I just don’t have more curiosity about tennis than that.
– Looking at the level Alcaraz and Sinner are capable of displaying, do you think their best version could beat peak Nadal at Roland Garros?
– Well, in a single match, of course they could beat him. Over a long run, I think Rafa would win more matches against them. But in a one-off match, yes, absolutely. Especially Alcaraz. I think Alcaraz on clay is the best in the world right now, whether he wins Roland Garros or not. In a single match, Alcaraz can obviously beat Rafa. Best-of-five at Roland Garros, on that court, because of history and playing style, I think Rafa would be the favorite. But Alcaraz can perfectly well beat Rafa on any given day. And Sinner can too. But over time, Rafa would win more matches.
– Alcaraz is a rock in long battles, but Sinner struggles a bit more…
– Rafa is superior over the long haul. And it’s true that if the match drags on against Sinner, Rafa would have a significant advantage. Less so with Alcaraz because physically and mentally he holds up well. Rafa would be the favorite playing against them, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t lose.
– Djokovic is going through a tunnel similar to Nadal’s—when wins don’t come as easily, when the body doesn’t cooperate, when people start to doubt. How do you think he is dealing with the ghosts of retirement?
– I don’t just see a parallel with Rafa; I see a parallel with 99% of players who retire. In the end, what forces 99% to retire are injuries, age, and wear and tear. All of that means you are no longer able to recover the same way, that the day after a long match you aren’t as sharp. Plus, players emerge who overpower you. This has happened to everyone. So I see what’s happening to Djokovic as completely normal. Obviously, time is running out for him given his age. Everything comes to an end eventually. I see parallels with every great player in tennis history—maybe the only one who didn’t go through that was Sampras, who won a US Open and never came back. But with everyone else, name any great champion or non-champion in history, and 99% are living, going through, or went through what Djokovic is facing now. It’s a completely normal process where you debate when you should step away, until a moment comes when you say, “Look, that’s it, I can’t take it anymore, all the training, all the travel—it’s no longer worth it if I can’t compete for titles.
