When Carlos Moya made an impressive run
to the ’99 Indian Wells title, he rose to No. 1 in the world and unleashed one of the greatest victory celebrations in tennis history, as he and his support team linked arms and offered a seemingly unending circular dance of ecstasy to the delight of the appreciative American crowd.
Who would have known that Moya would ultimately be known as the second best tennis player ever to emerge from the small Mediterranean island of Mallorca — the home of a fellow named Rafa Nadal? Once the godfather of Spanish tennis, Moya —muscular and armed with a fierce forehand — won the French Open in ’98. But he also suffered some memorable losses, losing to Pete Sampras in the ’97 Australian Open final and he went down in 2007 to homestanding Brit Tim Henman in one of the great first-round matches in Wimbledon history (6-1, 1-6, 5-7, 6-2, 13-11).
A loyal Davis Cup competitor, Moya went 20-7 over 15 ties and helped lead Spain past the U.S. in the 2004 final. Once counted among People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People, he has been struggling with a right foot injury, and hasn’t played an ATP match since the Madrid Open in May. Moya briefly partnered in doubles with his fellow Mallorcan Nadal, their best result being a quarterfinal finish at the Rome Masters in 2007.
