Cronin: Moya ready to face protege Nadal
Carlos Moya remembers when Rafael Nadal was only a wet-behind-the ears 10-year-old scrambler, beating the pants off other kids in his age group back home in Mallorca, Spain.
Nadal had the same mane of long, black hair and ear-to-ear grin, but no where near the Popeye arms and unshakeable self confidence that has made him the most feared man on clay courts.
The 30-year-old Moya has been a mentor to the 21-year-old Nadal, and the two have spent many nights during the 2007 French Open competing on PlayStation.
But on Wednesday, when they clash in the quarterfinals, the 1998 Roland Garros champion and the seemingly unbeatable title holder will leave their videogame matches on the hotel room couch behind.
"Rafa will be an opponent, a rival," said Moya, the first man to model the sleeveless shirt now made more famous by Nadal. "On the court, you don't have any friends. When you are on court, you want to win the match, whatever the manner. And off court, we are friends."
Nadal looked a little tired in the first few rounds, but regained his steam in the fourth round, playing near-perfect tennis to take out two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (5). His hooking forehand was murderous, his flat two-handed backhand found the lines and he smacked his serve to hard-to-reach spots.
Hewitt had a few minor chances in the match when Nadal briefly let down in the second set, but at 5-5 in the third set tiebreaker, the Spaniard drew Hewitt into the net with a drop shot, and Hewitt attempted to throw a lob over his head, but it was too short, and Nadal crushed an overhead smash. On match point, Hewitt buried a forehand into the net.
"He's moving on clay so well, the way he slides for every shot," Hewitt said. "He's an exceptional mover and he does get a lot of balls back. He sort of makes you go for that perfect shot every time."
Hewitt can't see anyone in the draw, including top-seed Roger Federer, preventing Nadal from winning his third straight crown. While the Swiss busted the Spaniard's 81-match clay court win streak a few weeks back in Hamburg, Nadal looked exhausted due to his long record drive and had nothing left in the third set. Here at the place where he first gained the world's attention, Nadal has a bounce in his step again
"The conditions here suit him well, here in Paris, probably more so than the court in Hamburg where Roger beat him," Hewitt said. "It bounces around a lot more out there, which I think helps Nadal a lot more. I think the ball was probably in Roger's zone a little bit more, that hitting zone, especially on the backhand side, in Hamburg. Which, if Nadal uses it right here, I think he's going to be tough to beat."
Nine years ago, Moya led the Spanish charge into Roland Garros. He was the first of a new generation of four Spanish men to win the crown. He was the bolder, more self-assured player than his close friend, Alex Corretja, in the final. He had big weapons ¡ª a thumping forehand, a consistent two-handed backhand down the line, a significant serve and a willingness to close points at net.
Spain's Albert Costa followed him into the winner's circle in 2002 and Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003.
Then Rafa began his two-year rule back in 2005.
But it was Carlos who became king first, and he briefly became the world's No. 1 in 1999. He tried to expand his arsenal, reaching the semis of the US Open on hard courts late in the summer of 1998.
But he stalled, as he's not a great mover and has always been a little stiff. But in the past two years, as his results have gone up and down, he went back to the basics and now, while he's a significant underdog against Nadal, he's keeping the ball deep once again and mixing up his attack. On Monday, he blitzed the only man older than him in the draw, 35-year-old Jonas Bjorkman in a 7-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory.
Moya thought about giving up for a while, but didn't, and now he's into the quarterfinals for the fourth time, hoping that his grand plan for the end of the career is not just wishful thinking. He burnt out after leading Spain to the Davis Cup crown over the US in 2004 and almost completely lost his way.
Poll
But the road to success has opened again.
"I wanted to come back to my traditional patterns," he said. "I was overburdened and I squandered a lot of energy. I've written a script. I felt a little bit down, and I was not really ambitious at that time.
"So after all these years, I was a little bit exhausted because I achieved my objectives. I'd lost my game plan, and had some problems with my backhand, and I wanted to improve it. I have lost against players against who I had never lost, and I gave myself a chance in order to become a very good player by sticking to my game plan. I would say that my backhand has improved significantly."
Moya's backhand had better hold up strong, because even Hewitt, who has one of the best backhands on the planet, felt vulnerable against Nadal's lefty hook. But the veteran does have one advantage Hewitt doesn't have ¡ª he helped nurse Nadal as a player and carries around the aura of the holy big brother.
"He is a friend," Nadal said. "He is somebody important to me for my career, and I need to thank him. He's always been a gentleman. And I had wonderful experiences with him. We can have dinner together every evening and have conversations together. It's always a sort of bitter aftertaste when you win against one of your best friends…[But] thank God we are in quarterfinals together. And that's already very positive."
For Spain, it's nothing but a positive, as they are the only two Spaniards left in the draw. Some Spanish fans would love to see Nadal become the first man since Bjorn Borg to win three straight titles.
But Moya is the beloved veteran and Davis Cup hero, and there are more than few folks in Mallorca who would like see him school the whippersnapper. Few oddsmakers would tab the old guy to win, but Nadal only holds a 3-2 career record against "Charlie," and Moya seems to have a decent idea as to how to unearth him.
"It is true that Rafa is an all-around player," the 23rd seeded Moya said. "The last time he beat me was a tough match in three sets. So between Rafa and myself, I would say that there will be less difference than the ranking indicates. Because I know him very well, there are some emotions. There is pressure to take into account. There are some players who are impressed because Rafa tends to be an outgoing player.
"I mean, he jumps on the court. So for me, it's less intimidating than the other players. But I can tell you if I step on the court, it won't be a foregone conclusion. I will enjoy playing against him on Center Court against Rafa."
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Carlos lost 1st round to Marcos Bagdatis 2--6. 3--6 
Wish you the best for doubles! 