Nadal and Moya on court

Originally published on 25/05/18 00:00

It has been twenty years since Carlos Moya won Roland Garros, defeating fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja in straight sets.  The 2018 edition of Roland Garros sees Rafael Nadal attempting to write another remarkable chapter in tennis history by winning his eleventh French Open.

Both events are wrapped up with French manufacturer Babolat’s history. As Eric Babolat explained to tennishead at a celebration event at Roland Garros to mark the Moya and Rafa milestones, when Carlos Moya won the French Open it was also the first time that a Babolat racket had won a Grand Slam.

Moya chose the Pure Drive, which has since become the best selling racket in Babolat’s range of rackets partly because it was lighter than the rackets that were available in 1998 and also because with its head light set-up and it blue cosmetic, although it had been developed predominantly for women, it suited Moya’s gamestyle. The Spaniard was looking for a racket that suited his swing speed, which had been increasing.

The rest as they say is history. Carlos Moya is now part of Rafa's coaching team, Nadal has a racket called "La Decima" which celebrates his extraordinary Roland Garros campaigns and Babolat now has a significant presence in the racket market. 

It had probably been a long time since Rafa Nadal had played on Court 15, tucked behind Suzanne Lenglen but at the celebration event Rafa and Moya had a gentle hit, which was turned into a small competition by the compere, under the watchful eye of CEO Eric Babolat, and for the record, Carlos Moya was victorious.

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