The Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell will pay tribute to Carlos Moya on Friday, 22 April. The former World No. 1, who is closely linked to the Real Club Tenis Barcelona, has retired from tennis only some months ago. The act will take place immediately after Rafa Nadal’s quarter-final, in case the Spaniard qualifies for the round of the last 8 tomorrow.
Moya, who clinched the Trofeo Conde de Godó title in 2003, will receive a trophy replica, which is usually only foreseen for players who claim at least three victories in Barcelona.
The crowd will have the opportunity to say goodbye to one of the greats of tennis, who is now living a life beyond the court. The Spaniard will be honored by Real Club Tenis Barcelona president Albert Agustí and Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell tournament director Albert Costa.
Sajna rossz hírek érkeznek Carlosról,súlyosnak tűnik a sérülése.:(((
INJURY-HIT MOYA PUTS CAREER ON HOLD March 12, 2009
Former men's tennis number one Carlos Moya has put his career on hold for an "indefinite time" because of a hip-bone injury.
Moya, currently ranked 45th in the ATP standings, described the injury as "a real hammer blow".
"I wasn't expecting this and it has put a halt to all my plans," he said.
"I have had pains over the last few months but we were hoping that it wasn't serious and that I could resume tennis little by little."
The 32-year-old is suffering from a lesion to a tendon and ischion on his hip-bone and will not be able to compete in the upcoming Indian Wells and Miami tournaments while he awaits test results.
"It's still too early to know when I'll be able to return to competition," he said.
"It's certain that I want to return but only when I'm firing at 100 percent physically and mentally."
Moya, who turned professional in 1995, is a clay court specialist who won the French Open in 1998 and peaked as world number one in March 1999.
Having notched up 500 career victories, former world number one Carlos Moya is feeling fit and fine to make it 600.
"I have the energy to go to 600," said the 30-year-old from Mallorca on Monday. "It is the result of the hard work I have put in day after day.
"When I started playing tennis I couldn't even think of it. I am really proud of it, give it as much importance as winning a Grand Slam."
Moya, who has been such a hit with the crowd in his five visits to Chennai, will set the courts ablaze at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai during the US $ 380,000 Kingfisher Airlines Open, starting on Monday.
"At 22-23 you don't see the end coming. You think you can go forever, but now I like to enjoy every single tournament I participate in."
"I am working very hard. The schedule is very tight nowadays. It depends on how many tournaments I play, but I still like to travel and am still enjoying tennis. There are a lot of young guys coming up but I feel I still have the power to play and beat them," said Moya after his first practice session in Mumbai.
The Spaniard said the security, after the July 11 bomb blasts in Mumbai, is never a concern and it has always been a pleasure to tour India.
"When I came to Chennai for the first time I had an infection in my thumb and couldn't turn up for my quarter-final match. The second year I could not take the court at all because of a stress fracture-- I thought I had recovered enough but I hadn't really. So I was thinking maybe Chennai was unlucky for me.
"But then I won the title the next year and have started enjoying the Chennai Open. I hope I can play as well in Mumbai. It's my first time year; hopefully not the last."
Moya advocated the league format, which will be introduced in some ATP tournaments next year, saying it is good for the players, organisers as well as the fans.
"It helps you to relax a little. I have played in the Masters, which is the only tournament right now using the league format, and it's good for the players. Even you have an off-day you have the chance to make it to the quarter-final. If someone like [Rafael] Nadal or [Roger] Federer lose in the early-rounds, the fans still have more chances to watch the top players."
Though the depth in tennis has increased, the 1998 French Open champion believes that during his peak there were more players with top-10 potential than the current crop.
"Today Roger and Rafael are far ahead than anyone. The players between 10 and 50 are very good, very competitive but during our time there were people with greater top-10 potential."
Moya, who is a mentor to fellow-Mallorcan and two-time French Open champion Nadal, said the 20-year-old had to hang in there and wait for Federer's powers to wane to be at the top of the tennis world.
"Right now Federer is winning everything. Rafa has a 6-2 record against him which is great. It shows Roger is not unbeatable, though very close to that. Rafa is very strong on clay and having reached the Wimbledon final, he's a definite contender for the title there also. Federer's on the top of his game and but maybe after the next two-three years his form will drop a bit. Rafa has to prepared to hang in there till that time."
Moya, who arrived in the city only on Sunday evening, starts his campaign at the Mumbai Open with a first round clash against 18-year-old Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. His compatriot and world number seven Tommy Robredo leads the player field also consisting Croatia's Mario Ancic and Dmitry Tursunov.
