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Carlos Moyá and Àlex Corretja, the finalists of the 1998 French Open, had a surprise after the match as they witnessed the arrival of footballing legend Pelé on the court for the award ceremony.
Spaniard Moyá recorded the one and only Grand Slam title of his career at the French Open that year as he went on to beat Corretja in straight sets. After the match, Pele appeared on the scene with a football as spectators applauded the legend. The three-time FIFA World Cup champion juggled the ball alongside the finalists before awarding them the trophies.
In light of Pelé passing on Thursday (December 29), Corretja reminisced about the iconic scene at the French Open. He took to social media on Thursday to share a video of the same. The Spaniard stated that the moments shared with Pelé were "magical."
"Roland Garros final of 98! Moyá defeats me by winning his first GS! The organization surprises us and the mythical “O Rei Pelé” appears at the trophies ceremony! They were magical minutes next to the Brazilian star! Very sorry for your loss! DEP #pelé," the 48-year-old wrote in his tweet.
Pelé is considered one of the greatest footballers ever to grace the pitch, and the football world mourned the death of the icon on Thursday. The Brazilian was admitted to a hospital in Sao Paulo owing to colon cancer, and he breathed his last at the age of 82 after a prolonged battle with the disease.
"He has proved he can still play well and be a contender to win big tournaments" – Carlos Moyá on Rafael Nadal
Carlos Moyá, Rafael Nadal's current coach, has conveyed that the World No. 2 is still fit and can put on great performances in tournaments throughout the upcoming season.
In a conversation with Eurosport, Moyá expressed that Nadal is motivated and will be ready for the challenges next year:
"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. 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."
The Spanish coach believes that the 22-time Grand Slam champion is a "great competitor and fighter" and that he will not give up despite struggling with injuries recently.
"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," Carlos Moyá added.
