I have never seen Rafael Nadal need the help of a mental coach: Carlos Moya

According to Carlos Moya, 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has learnt to cope with stressful situations in matches without the use of a mental coach or sports psychologist.

Rafael Nadal has been named by many as the player with the toughest mindset in the game. The Spaniard has bounced back despite having been written off several times in his career, and he is often hailed as the best embodiment of mental strength.

But Carlos Moya recently asserted that Rafael Nadal has not had any assistance from experts in developing this part of his game. Moya, who was hired by the Spaniard in December 2016, claimed that although the services of psychologists in sport have become quite common, his charge has learned to deal with pressure all on his own.

"What I do have to say is that since I've been with Rafa and without knowing if he has resorted to them before, I have never seen him need this (mental coach) kind of help," Moya said. "There are those (players) who have a stronger need (of a mental coach) in this sense, more insecurities. In this sport, the mind plays a very important role. But going back to Rafa, I can assure you that what he does in times of stress he has not learned anywhere. Nor has he read it or been taught by a psychologist."

Rafael Nadal is a good example of using strategy in tennis: Carlos Moya

Rafael Nadal

Carlos Moya, who won the French Open in 1998, also lauded Rafael Nadal's use of subtle tactics to one-up his opponents in the modern power-driven game.

"There is always room for strategy. Rafael Nadal is a good example of this because he has a wide range of possibilities in his game and that is to be appreciated when building the points strategically. At a general level we try to adapt to the surfaces and conditions that we face in each tournament," Moya continued.

Moya cited the recent ATP Finals in London to illustrate how Nadal's game was very different from the one he deployed to win his 13th French Open just a month earlier. The 44-year-old went on to lament that such smart use of strategy is not as common on the tour as before.

"If you watch a Rafa match in London, you can see big differences from what he did a month before at Roland Garros. But it is true that this sense of adaptability and strategy is being lost. Players hit harder each time, the points last less (longer) and depending on the opponent you play against, you hardly have room for strategy during the point," Moya said.