Rafael Nadal coach Carlos Moya, a former French Open champion himself, asked Patrick Mouratoglou to show ‘bit of respect’ after he cast doubts on Spaniard’s chances at Roland Garros.
Nadal, who had a tremendous start to the season, suffered a rib injury in March and was out for almost six weeks.
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Before Nadal’s comeback match at Madrid Masters, renowned tennis coach Mouratoglou talked about his chances at the French Open.
17 años seguidos top 10,Roland Garros’20 con 3 partidos en 7 meses,Australian Open’22 con 3 partidos en 6 meses..un poco de respeto y memoria @pmouratoglou 😉 https://t.co/5tgIRslIT6
— Carlos Moya (@Charlymoya) May 3, 2022
Speaking on French Television, Mouratoglou said: “Nadal is going to play few games and it is very rare that he arrives in Paris with so few games. It will be strange for him.”
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“Despite his great start to the season, Nadal has always been a player who needed to play many matches. He is not going to arrive in his best shape at Roland-Garros.”
The Spaniard showed few signs of rustiness as he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 7-6(4) in Madrid on Wednesday in his first match back.
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Moya reminded Mouratoglou of Nadal’s stellar record.
“17 straight years in the top 10, [winning] Roland Garros 2020 after three matches in seven months, [winning] Australian Open 2022 after three matches in six months…a bit of respect and memory,” Moya wrote on Twitter.
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Nadal is the undisputed ‘King of Clay’, having won 13 French Open titles.
Though the 35-year-old has made many winning comebacks from injury in the past, it remains to be seen if he can continue the run this time around.
