‘It’s clear that it’s not a goal’ – Rafael Nadal’s ambition isn’t to become world No. 1 claims coach Carlos Moya

Rafael Nadal’s priority is being fit for upcoming Grand Slams and not returning to the top of the ATP world rankings, his coach Carlos Moya has stressed.

The race to reach world No. 1 took another twist after Nadal bowed out of the US Open on Monday. But the Spaniard is still one of three players in the frame for the coveted top spot in the ATP rankings.

The ATP world rankings – in operation since 1973 and allowing for historical comparisons across eras – were headed by Daniil Medvedev on 6,880 points ahead of the tournament.

Nadal started the competition in second with 5,630 points thanks to his two major wins at the Australian Open and French Open in 2022.

However, Nadal’s mind is focused only on returning to full fitness, according to Moya.

“Being number one again has a lot of value; ending the year at the top of the rankings, even more so,” Moya told the ATP.

“If you look at his schedule, it’s clear that it’s not a goal. The most important thing for him is looking after his body and being well for the Grand Slams. But if it’s put in front of him, of course we’ll go for it.”

“I need to fix things, life, then I don’t know when I’m going to come back,” said Nadal.

“I going to try to be ready mentally. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there.

“Of course, this was not the ideal preparation for me. But in other cases it went the right way, even with not the perfect preparation, no? We can’t find excuses. We need to be enough [of a] critic with myself. That’s the only way to improve or that’s the only way that I understand you are able to find solutions.

“I have been practising well the week before, honestly. But then when the competition start, my level went down. That’s the true. For some reason, I don’t know, mental issues in terms of a lot of things happened the last couple of months. Maybe… but doesn’t matter.

“At the end the only thing that happened is we went to the fourth round of the US Open and I faced a player that was better than me. And that’s why I am having a plane back home.”

– – –