By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, December 17, 2016

 

Carlos Moya, who once served as a mentor and doubles partner to Rafael Nadal, has joined the 14-time Grand Slam champion's coaching staff.

Photo credit: Getty

Carlos Moya once played doubles with Rafael Nadal and famously predicted the teenager would one day rise to world No. 1.

Now, Moya is reuniting with Nadal as a coach.

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Former world No. 1 Moya is joining Nadal’s coaching team alongside uncle Toni Nadal.

"I am very excited to announce that Carlos Moya will join my team immediately and working together with Toni and Francis Roig," Nadal announced in a statement. "To have someone like Carlos, who is not only a friend but also a very important person in my career, is something special."

The 40-year-old Moya, who helped coach Milos Raonic to the Wimbledon final and a career-high rank of No. 3, will also serve as a coach at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca.

"I am sure that together with Toni, Francis and the rest of the team we have a great common project," said Moya. "Rafa is a special player and above all a great person and friend on which I have a lot of trust and confidence that will be able to continue winning important titles."

Nadal partnered good friend Marc Lopez to win the doubles gold medal at the Rio Olympics in August.

The ninth-ranked Nadal won two titles this season—Barcelona and Monte Carlo—concluding the season with a 39-14 record.