Former world number 1 Carlos Moya called 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal a competitive animal while adding that he is on the right path while recovering from his hip injury.

Speaking to ATP, Moya, who is Nadal’s coach, said they have to stop the Spaniard from training a lot, while calling him a competitive animal. Nadal, 37, has not played since his second-round exit at the Australian Open earlier this year as the long-standing hip injury concern flared up.

“As much as we try and get that into his head and make him see it, when he steps on a tennis court, he’s a competitive animal. A large part of my work and that of the team has been to stop him. Stop him in terms of the load of training, stop him in terms of hours of work, intensity,” said Moya.

He went on to say that they are taking Nadal’s recovery one step at a time, while insisting that he’s on the right path. Nadal is set to return to competitive tennis with his first tournament being the Brisbane International, which will be held from December 31 to January 7.

“It’s a process. In order to get to your best, the difficulty increases. It’s like a video game. You start on the first level, then the second, and you defeat the bosses, who get a little more difficult each time. This is a very similar thing to me. Things get increasingly difficult, but your level as a player increases too. I think we’re on the right path,” Moya added.

The 2024 season is expected to be Nadal’s last on the professional tour. The Spaniard will be hoping to make a mark at the French Open after which he would have an opportunity to go for Gold at the Paris Olympics.