At the 2003 Hamburg Masters, there was a match that would go down in history as a siginificant moment in the career of a certain Rafael Nadal. In the round of 16, the then 16-year-old was drawn to take on his compatriot and future coach Carlos Moya. The latter was already a Major champion (French Open, 1998) and had reached world No 1. Before this particular ATP 1000 event, he was ranked fourth.
Despite all that, there was a sense that Nadal could indeed topple his fellow Spaniard in Hamburg. After all, Nadal had already upset then-reigning Roland Garros champion Alberta Costa in the previous month at Monte Carlos Masters.
Sample this line from the preview filed by the Guardian: “Carlos Moya, the former world No 1, risks being beaten by the youngster he has helped to groom when he meets Rafael Nadal at the Hamburg Masters today. Nadal may be only 16, but he is unlikely to harbour any fears about beating his mentor and fellow Majorcan because he is quite accustomed to the ambience of big-time success.”
And guess what: Nadal indeed beat former Moya in the second round, and did so in straight sets. A baby-faced Nadal won 7-5, 6-4 in their second-round clash before eventually losing in the next round.
In just his fifth ATP main draw appearance, Nadal made a big splash. The world knew there was something special in him.
But, where the world saw a potential world-beater in that result, Moya saw the humility that would go on to endear Nadal to millions of fans around the world.
“When he beat me, he was very shy. He said, ‘I’m sorry I won’ and I said, ‘No worries’,” Moya told ATP tour website. “I understood that it was the first of many times he would win and I knew he was going to be a great player. He’s fulfilled all that he promised at the time.”
As the commentator said during the game, “In the words of Moya, he is the best 16-year-old he has ever seen. And that is quite the statement.”
Talk about prescient.
Watch this short highlight clip with audio on as the commentary adds so much value to the footage:
In 2003, @RafaelNadal ripped up the script. pic.twitter.com/OTmuj5OwXM
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 15, 2020
Extended highlights of the match here:
