Moya's Takeaways After Nadal's SF Win

Carlos Moya, coach of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, is breaking down the Spaniard's performances at Roland Garros for ATPWorldTour.com. Nadal is pursuing his 11th trophy on the Parisian terre battue.

On Friday, the defending champion defeated Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the final, where he'll face Dominic Thiem. Moya lists five key takeaways from Nadal’s win over Del Potro.

Overcoming Delpo's Dominant Start
The match began on level terms but Del Potro was imposing his game on Rafa. It wasn't until Rafa managed to earn the break of serve that the match swayed in his favor. Our strategy was to drag Del Potro into a war of attrition; make him work for everything. Our tactic worked.

Avoiding The Potent Forehand
The plan was to avoid Del Potro's forehand unless there was a clear opportunity to attack it. Our strategy was to keep him off balance and to mix up play, so that he never got into his comfort zone. You can't let a player as strong as Del Potro find his groove.

A Different Approach Compared To The Schwartzman Match
Rafa is experienced enough to know that at some point during a run at a big event, he's going to be forced to make adjustments on the fly. If he approached this match the same way he did against Diego, the result would have been bad. The way he worked his way out of trouble against Diego gave Rafa a lot of confidence going into the match against Del Potro.

Six Straight Sets Of Fabulous Tennis
This was the ideal result we were looking for. Defeating Del Potro in this manner proves that things have come together and the devised plan is working. Between today's result and the win over Diego, I'm pleased. The last six sets he has played here are the finest he has played so far.

A Record That Won't Be Repeated
If you had told me 20 years ago that history would be made this way, in the way Rafa is making it, it would have seemed unrealistic. But witnessing it as Rafa's coach and seeing the drive, the desire and the ability he possesses, I can see how he's managed to accomplish what he has here at Roland Garros. I'm pretty sure we won't see anything like Rafa's 11 appearances in finals at Roland Garros again.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2sJmWcb