"We have past experiences, starting badly and ending with an exceptional level, we all think he will find his A-game" - Rafael Nadal's coach Carlos Moya confident of Spaniard's US Open 2022 title chances

Rafael Nadal's coach Carlos Moya is confident of his pupil's title chances at the ongoing 2022 US Open Championships. The Spaniard is through to the fourth round in New York but the ride hasn't been without bumps so far.

In his first two rounds against Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini, he started slow, losing the opening set before fighting back to win the contest. Against Richard Gasquet in the third round, the 36-year-old began in dominant fashion, taking the first two sets with ease before being pushed all the way in the third set.

In the match against Fognini, Nadal approached Moya and his team and told them he was very anxious. Moya, in a recent interview with ATP, explained that it was only a momentary thing and he dealt with it well immediately after.

"The way the match was going, we asked him to get more balls in, to play with margin for error, no angles, and to run. It was something that I hadn’t told him for many years: aim for the middle and run. We also knew what our opponent was like. He was faultless for over an hour, but then he made some mistakes. Rafa relaxed and then his level wasn’t bad. He got back to a more recognisable version of himself, average cruising speed," he said.

Despite not putting in faultless performances at Flushing Meadows this year, Moya remains confident of Nadal's title chances.

"The mind is difficult to control. He explained that he has been through a lot of tough situations in recent months. We all think he will find his A-game. We have past experiences with Rafa, starting tournaments really badly, going through the rounds and ending with an exceptional level. Wimbledon was similar. We’re confident something similar will happen here," he stated.

Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule

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"If we didn’t, there was a very high risk of relapse" - Carlos Moya on why Rafael Nadal changed his serve for 2022 US Open

Rafael Nadal in action at the 2022 US Open.

At this year's US Open, Rafael Nadal has been spotted employing a slightly different type of serve than what he has used over the years. Explaining the reasons behind the change in his serve, Carlos Moya stated that the decision was taken because the Mallorcan was struggling to serve like before and also to avoid suffering a relapse.

"In New York, he’s playing with a different serve. During the training sessions, we saw that he was struggling to serve like before, going after the ball at the top, reaching. To protect the area, we changed to a serve that allows him to be competitive. So far, he’s serving pretty well. It’s a different method, but on a fast court, or even at Wimbledon, it’s a serve that can be very effective. He’s getting more confident and he hasn’t lost any speed. And the bounce is livelier with the new serve, the spin he puts on it is having more effect," Moya said.

"If we didn’t change his serve, there was a very high risk of relapse. You go to war with the weapons you have. It’s Rafa, it’s a Grand Slam. He also said that after losing in Cincinnati, that he would activate ‘Grand Slam mode’. Clearly, the first matches could have been better, but we’ll see what happens," he added.