Kuerten on Rejuvinated Moya and "The Taste of Winning"

The three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten had been sitting in the player’s dining room over the last 90 minutes eating steak and watching TV.

“Muy mal!” a friend exclaimed to Kuerten.

Their friend, Carlos Moya, had just lost a third-set tiebreak in the 4th round of the U.S. Open.

But Moya would bounce back to win, rejoicing after hitting a falling-down backhand down the line to seal the match.

I asked Kuerten what was happening with the grisly 31-year-old Moya, who is on an improbably fantastic Open run.

“Over the last few months, he’s been starting to get the taste of winning,” said Kuerten. “”He is confident now. I’ve seen it a little bit over these last few months."

In the quarters, Moya could get Novak Djokovic, who he beat in Cincinnati in straight sets a few weeks ago.