Late in September, Carlos Moyà called Marc López to enquire about his situation. The Catalonian, who peaked at World No. 3 in doubles and won 14 tour-level titles in the discipline, used his protected ranking to enter 12 tournaments in 2021, although it was not as successful as he may have liked. In August, he became a father for the first time and gradually began to step back from competition. López was frank with Moyà: he was not sure if he would continue playing.
“I thought you’d be a good fit for Rafa’s team,” Moya told him. “If you’re on board, I’ll mention it to him. I imagine he’d be delighted, but I’m asking you first in case you’re not up for it or don’t want to travel.”
Indeed, as a new parent, the Catalonian had been planning not to travel.
