Rafael Nadal a few days ago announced that he would be taking no part in this year’s Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympics because he was not fully fit. Backing that up his coach Carlos Moya also added that he was exhausted after Roland Garros and playing another Grand Slam with that body would have been a risk.
The King of Clay featured in 22 matches in the clay court season starting from April hence his body needed some rest. In this period he won two titles, the Barcelona Open and the Italian Open. He also reached the semifinals of the Roland and fought hard before losing to the eventual winner Novak Djokovic.
Moya pointed out how the clay court season has taken a mental and physical toll on the Spaniard. He also stressed how Nadal needs to take care of his body to prolong his career.
“The clay court tour was very tough, with a lot of physical and mental pressure,” Moya said. “Rafa finished exhausted. He is going to take a well-deserved rest, this is a marathon, a long-distance race in which hard decisions have to be made and he has considered that the best thing is to stop and come back full of strength.”
The 44-year-old highlighted how two years ago the current World No. 3 reached a new low in terms of mental fatigue and was close to reaching that level. Hence he decided to take the much needed break.
“Rafa two years ago reached a point of great mental fatigue that was very difficult to get out of and now he has indicated that he was close to that again,” added Moya. “He cannot afford (to play in) a Grand Slam if he is not at 100%.”
Moya also complained how Wimbledon is just two weeks away from the Roland Garros giving the players no time to rest their bodies. The Spaniard suffered a defeat in the semifinals against Djokovic who is one of his fiercest rivals. so a lot of people speculated the defeat to be the reason for his withdrawal. But Moya added how the pandemic and quarantine restrictions at Wimbledon also played a part in Nadal taking the decision.
“The defeat has not affected as much as the fact that there is a week less than usual to prepare for Wimbledon, as well as the context in which we are with the pandemic,” he said.
“It is difficult on a mental level to face the confinements prior to a great match, to play with little public, etc. This affects Rafa, he is a person who has a great connection with people and it was hard to go to London with a quarantine in between,” Moya explained.
