Carlos Moya backs Rafael Nadal to keep 'evolving and adapting' ahead of Felix Auger-Aliassime clash at ATP Finals

Updated 15/11/2022 at 16:20 GMT

Rafael Nadal has lost his last three singles matches in a row and a third straight defeat would see him exit the Nitto ATP Finals at the group stage. Nadal, 36, was beaten by Taylor Fritz in his opener and next faces Felix Auger-Aliassime. Nadal's coach Carlos Moya has been discussing his form and his fitness, as well as his hopes for the 2023 season, to Eurosport.

Rafael Nadal

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Carlos Moya says Rafael Nadal is motivated to challenge again for big titles in 2023 and will continue “evolving” as he looks to get back to his best.

Nadal, 36, has had a difficult second half of the season, struggling with an abdominal injury over the summer and missing six weeks after the US Open.

On his return at the Paris Masters he was beaten in his first match by Tommy Paul. He then lost his opener at the Nitto ATP Finals in straight sets to Taylor Fritz.

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But Nadal’s coach Moya has backed him to bounce back after a season that started with a 20-match winning run and two more Grand Slam titles to take him to 22 for his career.

“He’s won two Slams, when you win two Slams in a year it’s always a good year, no matter what happens after that,” Moya told Eurosport.

“He has been a bit unlucky with injuries, two bad injuries during the year, but he’s a great competitor and fighter, and we don’t give up and we still believe there is a chance to play well here.

“He will be ready for next year, he is motivated, he has proved he can still play well and be a contender to win big tournaments.

“He is willing to still keep evolving and being competitive, so as long as that happens and his body holds up well he will be ready.”

Nadal’s loss to Fritz means he faces a must-win match against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday.

If Nadal, who has never won the ATP Finals, loses then he will be on the verge of elimination before his final group match against Casper Ruud.

“It’s not the best start we could expect but that’s the good thing about this tournament, even having a bad day you still have a chance to qualify,” added Moya.

“We believe there is still a chance, obviously he will have to play better but we hope he will do it.

“The opponent [Fritz] was great and didn’t give him a chance to play his game. Rafa served well but the other parts of his game didn’t work and when you play like that in these conditions against such a good opponent then we saw what happened. He was playing really well in practice but he didn’t find a way to bring that game to a match.”

After Roger Federer's retirement in September, Nadal is now the oldest active remaining member of the ‘Big Four’.

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He has proven this season that he can still contend with the best, returning from a four-month lay-off to win the Australian Open in January.

Nadal will be hoping for a repeat in a few months when he heads to Melbourne to defend his title, but Moya admits he needs to continue adapting his game.

“The young kids are coming. He is wiser and a better player than before but the legs are not the same, so he has to adapt to find a way to be competitive against these guys.

“So far he has been able to do that and we believe he can keep playing well and be competitive.

“We have to find a way to be healthy as much as possible and if that happens I think he has the game to be competitive.”

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