Moya’s Takeaways After Nadal’s R3 Victory

Carlos Moya, coach of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, is breaking down the Spaniard’s performances at Roland Garros for ATPWorldTour.com. Nadal is pursuing his 11th trophy on the Parisian terre battue.

On Saturday, the defending champion defeated Richard Gasquet to advance to the fourth round, where he’ll face German Maximilian Marterer for a place in the quarter-finals. Moya lists five key takeaways from Nadal’s win over the Frenchman.

Nadal’s Best Showing So Far
Nadal was on top of matters from the start. He raised his intensity, he was moving well and he was consistently on the attack. He put Gasquet in compromising situations throughout the match.

Different Year, Different Story
It’s difficult to compare Rafa’s title-defending campaign this year to his championship-run last year. A better point of reference would be last year’s US Open. We’re taking things match by match with the understanding that we’ll improve day by day. It’s clear that everything is coming together. That’s just the way it is with Rafa.

The 16-0 Record Against Gasquet
Gasquet is solid; he’s complete and has no weaknesses. At the same time, he doesn’t have a major weapon to take Rafa out of his comfort zone. His style of play is ideal for Rafa to exploit. And considering his record against Gasquet (Nadal now leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 16-0), Rafa went into this match with a mental advantage.

Nadal Has Shifted Into Fifth Gear
This is where Rafa excels and where he reaches that point where, well, you know how things go when Rafa gets going. Players like Rafa, if they get through the early rounds, they build momentum. It becomes that much harder to defeat a player of that calibre once they get going. We’re still proceeding with caution, but honestly, Rafa gets more and more dangerous with every win.

Fully Focused On Marterer
I’m never concerned when it comes to Rafa’s frame of mind when he steps on the court. He respects every player he faces and he knows not to underestimate an opponent. As a team, we don’t know any other approach. We’re going to analyse videos (of Marterer) and check in with other players for some feedback.