Rafael Nadal (Photo : Getty Images)
Carlos Moya believes his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal will come back stronger from a left wrist injury suffered last month.
Moya, a former world No. 1 from Spain and a one-time French Open titlist, backed Nadal in the latter's quest to become "vintage Rafa" once again after a left wrist injury halted his momentum of achieving that personal goal. The 39-year-old Moya believes Nadal will be back in tennis action stronger fighting for the Slams.
"It's about coming back strong, which I'm sure he's going to do. They talk a lot about his injuries, but the past 10 years, he has not been out of the top five at the end of the year, so he always came back stronger," Moya told The New York Times.
There is no doubt Nadal will return to the tennis scene, with the King of Clay scheduled to play at the Rogers Cup in Toronto next month. Perhaps the only concern for Nadal when he returns from injury is his form, which has suffered a great dip in the past year.
Nadal almost transformed himself back to being lethal on the tennis court after back-to-back title wins in Monte Carlo and Barcelona during the European clay-court circuit. His stints at the Madrid and Italian Open did not win him any titles, but the Mallorcan displayed impressive performances against the likes of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Competing at Wimbledon would have been a boost to Nadal's confidence as he continues his bid for another Grand Slam singles title, which he last won at the French Open in 2014. But the setback may have inadvertently given Nadal a greater shot at winning an elusive 15th major at the US Open, with plenty of time to rest and hone back his game.
Nadal's recovery seems to have gone well with his long-time coach and uncle Toni confirming few days ago that the 14-time Grand Slam winner is on the "right track" of recuperating from the setback. But more importantly, Nadal is embracing the right mindset heading back to where he left off.
"He accepted that he will not play Wimbledon and is calm but willing to compete again. The plan is to play Toronto because it makes no sense to play Hamburg which takes place on clay. We will see if will do well at the Olympic Games," Toni said.
