Carlos Moya rips Rafael Nadal's farewell ceremony

11/23/2024 10:00 AM

Toni Nadal wasn't the only one who didn't like the ceremony organized by the Davis Cup Finals board to celebrate Rafael Nadal's tennis farewell: in fact, Carlos Moya, the 22-time Grand Slam champion's last coach, also shared his dissatisfaction with how the event was organized and managed.

"It's not the time to blame anyone, but the feeling is that we have witnessed something messy. It's true that we're talking about a Tuesday night, but we knew for months that if Spain had lost, Nadal would have retired that day. Rafa is far above all this," he told Onda Cero.

"I saw Rafa calm. I had assumed that this moment would come. We knew for months that it would happen and now we are trying to assimilate. It was a farewell that did not live up to what Rafa Nadal means to this sport," he added.

Previously, Uncle Toni did not mince words when asked about the farewell ceremony organized to pay tribute to his nephew after Spain's defeat in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. Nadal ended his glorious career, but the atmosphere - also because of the time - did not do justice to the value of the man and the player.

"I do not want to criticize anyone, but I would have preferred something different as a member of his family and his former coach. They obviously had good intentions, but I would have preferred something else. The images convey passion to a person like Rafa. If they had done this, everything would have been up to Rafael," said Toni.

Nadal ended his amazing career by winning 22 Grand Slam titles, among which 14 French Open title. He completed the Career Golden Slam in 2010, when he won the US Open for the first time.