Carlos Moyá facts for kids
| Country (sports) |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Residence | Madrid, Spain |
| Born | 27 August 1976 Palma, Mallorca, Spain |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Turned pro | 1995 |
| Retired | 17 November 2010 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$13,443,970 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 575–319 (64.32%) |
| Career titles | 20 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (15 March 1999) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1997) |
| French Open | W (1998) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2004) |
| US Open | SF (1998) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (1998) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2004) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 24–50 (32.43%) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 108 (29 October 2001) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2001) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 0–1 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2006) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2004) |
| Coaching career (2016–2024) | |
|
|
| Coaching achievements | |
| Coachee singles titles total | 21 |
| List of notable tournaments (with champion) 1x Australian Open (Nadal) |
|
Carlos Moyá Llompart (born 27 August 1976) is a Spanish former tennis player and coach. He was once ranked the world's No. 1 tennis player. Carlos won the French Open in 1998. He also reached the final of the Australian Open in 1997. In 2004, he helped his country, Spain, win the Davis Cup. After retiring from playing, he became a coach, notably working with Rafael Nadal from 2016 until Nadal's retirement in 2024.
Contents
Carlos Moyá's Tennis Journey
Carlos Moyá started his professional tennis career in 1995. He quickly made a name for himself.
Early Career Wins
In November 1995, when he was just 19, Carlos won his first big tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He beat fellow Spanish player Félix Mantilla in the final. The next year, in May 1996, Carlos achieved a big win. He defeated Thomas Muster, a top player on clay courts, in the semifinals of a tournament in Munich. This win ended Muster's amazing streak of 38 clay-court matches in a row.
Grand Slam Success
In 1997, Carlos reached his first ever Grand Slam final at the Australian Open. He had some impressive wins along the way. He beat the defending champion, Boris Becker, in the first round. Then he defeated world No. 3, Michael Chang, in the semifinals. However, he lost the final match to the legendary Pete Sampras.
The highlight of Carlos's career came in 1998 at the French Open. This tournament is played on clay courts, which Carlos was very good at. He played incredibly well throughout the event. In the quarterfinals, he beat Marcelo Ríos, who was a favorite to win. Then, in the final, he faced another Spanish player, Álex Corretja. Carlos won the match in straight sets, becoming the French Open champion! This was his only Grand Slam title.
Later that year, he also reached the semifinals of the US Open. He finished 1998 by being the runner-up at the ATP World Championships (now called the ATP World Tour Finals). He lost a very close five-set final to Álex Corretja, even after winning the first two sets.
Becoming World No. 1
In March 1999, Carlos Moyá achieved a huge milestone. After finishing second at a tournament in Indian Wells, he became the world No. 1 singles tennis player. He was the first Spanish player in history to reach this top spot! He held the No. 1 ranking for two weeks. Later that year, he had to withdraw from the US Open due to a back injury. This injury affected his play for the rest of 1999 and into 2000.
More Tournament Wins
Despite his injury, Carlos continued to play well. In 2000, he won a tournament in Portugal. In 2001, he won a title in Umag, Croatia. He also reached the final in Barcelona, where he played a long, tough match against Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The year 2002 was very successful for Carlos. He won four titles. One of his biggest wins was at the Cincinnati Masters. This was a major hard-court tournament. He defeated the world No. 1 player, Lleyton Hewitt, in the final.
In 2003, Carlos won three more clay-court titles. He also played a key role in helping Spain reach the final of the Davis Cup. He won all six of his singles matches in the competition. Spain lost the final to Australia that year.
Davis Cup Heroics
In 2004, Carlos helped Spain go one step further and win the Davis Cup. This is a major team competition in tennis. In the final, Spain played against the United States. Carlos won two very important singles matches against top American players, Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish. These wins helped Spain defeat the United States 3-2 and lift the Davis Cup trophy!
That same year, Carlos won his third Masters Series title in Rome, Italy. He was the only player that year to win at least 20 matches on both clay and hard courts.
Carlos also showed his kind side in July 2004. During a match in Toronto, he hit some balls with a ball boy named Sandeep Ponniah during an injury break. The crowd loved it when Sandeep even hit an overhead smash!
In January 2005, Carlos won his 18th career title in Chennai, India. He generously donated all his prize money from this win to the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami.
Later Career and Retirement
Carlos continued to play for several more years. In 2007, he reached the final of the Sydney International. He also had a great run at the Hamburg Masters, beating several top players like Novak Djokovic. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 French Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal.
In July 2007, he won the Croatia Open for the sixth time. This win helped him get back into the top 20 world rankings.
In March 2009, Carlos announced he was taking a break from tennis. He needed to recover from injuries to his hip. He tried to return in 2010 but continued to struggle with a foot injury.
On 17 November 2010, Carlos Moyá officially announced his retirement from professional tennis. He had a special ceremony at the O2 Arena in London during the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals. Many top players attended to celebrate his career.
Carlos won 20 ATP Tour singles titles during his career. He won tournaments in eleven different countries around the world.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Carlos Moyá became a tennis coach. From 2016 to 2024, he was the main coach for his fellow Spanish tennis legend, Rafael Nadal. During his time coaching Nadal, they achieved many major titles together.
Major Finals
Carlos Moyá reached two Grand Slam singles finals:
- In 1997, he was the runner-up at the Australian Open (Hard court).
- In 1998, he won the French Open (Clay court).
He also reached one Year-end championships final:
- In 1998, he was the runner-up at the ATP Championships (Hard court).
Carlos played in six Masters Series finals, winning three of them:
- Wins:
- 1998 Monte Carlo (Clay)
- 2002 Cincinnati (Hard)
- 2004 Rome (Clay)
- Losses:
- 1999 Indian Wells (Hard)
- 2002 Monte Carlo (Clay)
- 2003 Miami (Hard)
Team Achievements
- 2004 – Davis Cup winner with Spain
Personal Life
In July 2011, Carlos Moyá married actress Carolina Cerezuela. They have two daughters and one son.
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Moyá para niños
