Who Rafael Nadal picked as his ‘favourite player’ when he was 16 years old

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Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest players of all time, having won 22 Grand Slams across his incredible career.

The Spaniard burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2003, and it didn’t take him long before he was dominating the top of the rankings.

Nadal, along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, changed the entire landscape of the sport as they consistently swapped the world number one spot on the ATP Tour.

Before the King of Clay became a household name on the ATP Tour, he named the player he grew up adoring when he was a teenager in 2003.

Rafael Nadal named Carlos Moya as his ‘favourite player’ in 2003

Nadal’s big breakthrough in the sport came at the 2003 Hamburg Open, where the 16-year-old picked up two very impressive victories.

The star defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first round as a qualifier to set up a match with second seed Carlos Moya.

Nadal beat Moya in straight sets on the clay, and it was extra special for the King of Clay as his opponent was one of his childhood heroes.

Speaking after his victory over Moya, Nadal said: “I have never asked for an autograph, but if I have to pick my favorite player, that’s Carlos Moya.

“I’m very grateful to him for saying such nice things about me, but I think other players play well at my age too.”

Nadal was knocked out in the third round in Hamburg against Gastón Gaudio, but his big break in the sport had already arrived.

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya’s head-to-head record

Nadal and Moya would meet a further seven times on the ATP Tour, but the King of Clay would not take it easy on his childhood hero.

He defeated Moya six times out of their eight meetings, including most notably in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros. Nadal won the tournament for the third time that year.

Moya did, however, manage to become one of the few men to defeat Nadal on a clay court when they met in 2003.

The pair met in the Umag semi-final, and Moya raced to victory in straight sets, then he followed it up with a win in the final against Filippo Volandri.

After Moya’s retirement, he joined up with Nadal as a coach between 2016 and 2024. He oversaw Nadal winning five Roland Garros titles, as well as an Australian Open, two US Open crowns, and eight Masters titles.