Teenager Rafael Nadal Plays a Grown-Up Game
Tennis Magazine, July 2003
Lleyton Hewitt kick started his careet at 16. So did Michael Chang and Roger Federer. Now another young gun has stepped up. This spring, Rafael Nadal of Spain beat a pair of Roland Garros champions, Albert Costa and Carlos Moya, to become the first 16-year-old in the Top 100 since Chang in 1988.
Nadal, a left-hander, is the protege of Moya; both are from the island of Mallorca and practice together whenever they're home. "Carlos was always the player I looked up to," says the No. 69-ranked Nadal, who now can enter most ATP events without having to qualify. "I would like to have beaten a player of his level, but not Carlos." And what's Moya think of his charge's progress? "He's very strong from the baseline, he returns well, he's a fighter," Moya says. "He's already a great player. I'll lose to him again."
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