It’s rare to see two world no. 1 players from the same place, especially a small one. It’s the case with Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal, two prominent tennis stars from the island of Mallorca. The more experienced player had always been there for the upcoming star, and Rafa confirmed that during the 2003 US Open. Nadal praised Moya and everything he had done for him, with the older Spaniard joining the younger’s coaching staff at the end of 2016. Soon, Moya replaced Toni Nadal as Rafa’s leading coach, guiding his compatriot toward more success in the upcoming years. Now, let’s return to 2003 and Nadal’s first US Open. The Spaniard started the season ranked 200th and cracked the top-100 after three and a half months! Nadal reached four Challenger finals by March and won one title. Rafa gathered momentum and scored two victories in Monte Carlos as a qualifier, beating the reigning Roland Garros winner Albert Costa and entering the top-100 at 16!
Rafael Nadal spoke about his fiuture coach Carlos Moya in 2003.
Nadal delivered two wins in Hamburg in May and reached the Aix En Provence Challenger final before suffering an injury that forced him to skip Roland Garros and pre-Wimbledon events on grass. At the All England Club, the Manacor native reached the third round as one of the youngest players, earning first wins on grass. A teenager advanced into the quarter-final in Bastad and the semi-final in Umag on clay in July before winning another Challenger crown in Segovia. Nadal had to skip the next three weeks before debuting at the US Open as a top-50 player. Rafa played well in his first match in New York, beating his compatriot Fernando Vicente 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. Rafa lost 22 points in 14 service games, fending off all three break chances and creating no less than 18 break points on the return. He converted four to control the pace and move into the second round, facing Younes El Aynaoui.
“Younes El Aynaoui plays better than me on hard courts. I beat him in Bastad on clay, but he is a very dangerous rival, with a big serve and forehand, also playing his best tennis in the last couple of years. My goal here is to play match by match, especially after not competing for three weeks; also, I want to improve my serve and volley in the upcoming months. Working with a better-ranked player helps, and Carlos Moya was always there to help me; we come from a small place, and we are very close. Regarding fans and autographs, it’s the same as at any other tournament. I gave some autographs, but not many,” Rafael Nadal said.