CARLOS MOYA

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He growed up playing with his father until Jofre Porta take him to the C.N. Palma when he was six, so that he could train at Son Hugo courts, activity he made two or three times per week. At that moment he didn't devote all his time to tennis but he played basket and football (soccer) too, until he chose the choice of tennis.

When he was 12 he joined Jofre Porta to be trained by Alberto Tous, majorcan ex-tennis player who was the majorcan with more successes as professional at the end of 70s and beginning of 80s until Carlos Moyà came into the ATP circuit. During this period he had no rival at the local competitions and became Balearic Champion in all categories. But Alberto Tous knew that if he didn't go out of Mallorca he wouldn't pass from being a good local tennis player. So, when he was
17 years old, he got in touch with Juan Bautista Avendaño, one of the trainers of the C.A.R. Sant Cugat (Barcelona) and got a grant to train at the High Performance Center, place where many elite sportsmen train. This way he was able to study and train in the same center so that he was able to do the best use of his time and was prepared by the best tennis coaches: Juan Bautista Avendaño (ex-capitain of the Davis Cup Spanish team), Miguel "Mico" Margets (capitain of the Federation Cup Spanish team), Josep Perlas, etc. Other tennis players trained with him, as Jacobo Díaz (winner of Roland Garros Junior 1994), Galo Blanco, Fernando Vicente, ...

He always had the confidence of his coaches, specially of Juan Bautista Avendaño, despite of he was not the best of the group at the beginning, but he saw in him the same that Jofre Porta had seen before, he had the makings of a "Top Ten".

His first international success and the debut in the Spanish Professional Circuit.

In 1994 he entered the professional circuit, playing the satellite circuit of Andalusia, Catalonia (Artiach) and Madrid that gave him his first points in the ATP ranking. And as anybody could expect, success knock on his door, that time in the European Championship Junior of Klosters (Switzerland), where he won both in singles and doubles. Shortly after he played a decisive rol in winning the Galea Cup (equivalent to the Davis Cup for juniors). On September he won the Circuito del Norte, thanks to his victories in the tournaments of Corunna, Oviedo and Santander. But until the
end of the year, during the Spanish Championship, he didn't get an important victory. It was in the second round, when he beat Alberto Berasategui, who was a Top Ten that year after playing the Roland Garros final against Sergi Bruguera. A nice way of finishing a year that promoted him to the position 346 of the ranking.

The year 1995 started with good news for Carlos Moyà as Juan Bautista Avendaño called him to be the fifth player for the Spanish Davis Cup Team, that was going to play versus Austria, with Sergi Bruguera, Alberto Berasategui, Carlos Costa and Emilio Sánchez. Spain lost 1-4 and Carlos Moyà didn't play any match. In those days only Josep Perlas was his coach and he did the big jump into the circuit with him. His first ATP tournament was in Oporto, where he was eliminated in quarter-finals, but he took his first step there. He continued playing different Challenger tournaments where he get victories at Oberstaufen and Budapest. He went on playing tournaments in the Spanish circuit, as the atypical Luanco Beach, tournament played over the sand of the beach taking advantage of it when the tide  goes out, when he lost the final against "Pato" Clavet. All these good performances completed with a place in the final of the City of Barcelona tournament made him
blast the barrier of the first 100 tennis players in the ATP ranking on September, 25. He played a set of tournaments in South America and it was in Buenos Aires where he finally won his first ATP tournament, winning against Alberto Berasategui and beating Fèlix Mantilla, who was only able to win three games in the final. He finished the year winning the Spanish Championship for his club, the Royal Tennis Club of Barcelona, with partners as Alberto Berasategui, Tomás Carbonell, Javier
Sánchez, Jordi Burillo, Carlos Costa and Albert Costa. At the end of the year he was in the position 63 of the ATP ranking, and had improved in 283 positions his last year-end ranking.

His first victory in a Grand Slam match was at Roland Garros where he defeated Patrick Rafter. In the second round the Swede Stefan Edberg archieved a resounding victory over him: it was his first match in a central court and he suffered the defeat that all rookie tennis player has suffered.

Carlos Moyà arrived at Flinders Park facilties, in Melbourne, on Monday, 13. He was very sure of himself about winning Becker, that had been playing good tennis last week and had adapted to the hard court of Australia. Very few of the people present that day could think that would end up encouraging Carlos Moyà. His playing was the best of his life and Becker was not able to find the way to counteract Moyà' drive. As a great champion he is, Becker forced the 5th set, but Carlos Moyà won in a wonderful match of both players. The most important week of Carlos Moyà had started.

After winning Becker his next rival had to be, in theory, easier. Patrick mcEnroe suffered the consequences of the marvelous condition of Moyà and Australian people started to see in him a new idol due to his playing style and his way of being in the court, a phenomenon similar to the appearance of Agassi in the world circuit. But although he was playing as never before and he was the center of the looks of the public, Carlos Moyà didn't showed the pressure and continued dazzling
everybody, beating firstly the Swede Bjorkman and then his friend Félix Mantilla.

January, 23 was the most important day until then. He was in semifinals and in front of him he has the number 2 in the world, Michael Chang. The central court of Flinders Park was full to bursting. Spanish and Majorcan flags could be seen in the stadium. Messages as "Moyà, the Destroyer" from the Australian public demonstrated that everybody was devoting their constant attention to him, and a lot of Majorcans where that early morning watching the television. Carlos Moyà didn't disappointed anyone and take Michael Chang out of the court grating on his nerves with his set of hits. The result speaks for itself: 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. There was no doubt, whatever passed then there was already a king of the tournament and that was Carlos Moyà.

The other semifinal gave as winner Pete Sampras, the number one in the world. Before knowing his rival, Carlos Moyà said he was not afraid of anybody but he kner it would be very difficult. The great day arrived at January, 26. Sampras was the favorite, but sure he didn't trust the Majorcan, that had the helping hand of most of the public, not only Spanish but also Australian. Pete Sampras keeped the forecast and beated clearly Moyà with a high level tennis that didn't let Carlos Moyà play his playing, with a result of 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. The dream was over, Pete Sampras, when he is in his best playing level has no rival, but Carlos Moyà leaved Australia very happy because to be defeated in a final against the number one is not a work that anybody can do and we are sure he will have the change to get revenged soon. In Autralia a star has been born and we hope it will shine strongly
during a lot of time.

The in '98 French Open, he achieved every player's dream a grand slam at Roland Garoos where he had won his first match as a grand slam player.  Then later in '99 he became to the world no.1 with good results in Lipton.   Only to lose the no.1 spot to Pete Sampras within 2 weeks and have one of the shortest reign at the top.