Rafael Nadal was more determined to beat Novak Djokovic in the French Open final when he heard that the duel will be played indoors, said Carlos Moya, a former tennis player and Nadal’s coach.
Nadal defeated Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in straight sets in the final to win his 13th title at the Roland Garros on October 11 last year.“When they come to tell us that the final will be played indoors, we wonder how we’re going to announce that to Rafa,” Moya was quoted as saying by tennishead.net.
“Fifteen minutes from the match, Francisco Roig told him so.” Roig is a former player and one of the coaches in Nadal’s team.
“And there, Rafa’s response was: ‘I don’t care, it doesn’t matter, I’m going to win this match.’ Rafa had never said such a thing to me before a match!”
“He knew he wouldn’t fail. Nadal is such a humble person. It wasn’t arrogance; it was a feeling of confidence, of security,” said Moya of Nadal, who did not lose a single set throughout the entire tournament.
The win was also Nadal’s fourth consecutive French Open title and his 20th overall Grand Slam singles title with which he equalled Roger Federer’s all-time record.