19-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has called upon the governing body of men’s tennis to lead by example when dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and warned against resuming the 2020 season too early in his strongest remarks yet.
All tennis tournaments have been either suspended or cancelled up until July 31st due to the worldwide health crises. Leaving officials pondering when and how the Tour will resume. Earlier this week it has been reported that players have been invited to a zoom call with the ATP next Wednesday where they are expected to put forward a schedule for the rest of the season. Although nothing has been made public yet.
One of the main sticking points is the US Open, where Nadal is the reigning champion. The United States Tennis Association has in recent weeks looked at numerous options ranging from holding it behind closed doors to even moving it to another location out of New York. A state which has recorded over 374,000 cases and 24,000 deaths related to the virus.
“It’s not an ideal situation. If you asked me today if I wanted to travel to New York and play I would say no,” Nadal told members of the International Tennis Writers Association on Thursday during a press conference on Zoom. “But in a couple of months I don’t know how the situation will improve. Hopefully it will be in the right way. I’m sure the people who organise the event, the USTA, want a safe event.’
“I am confident that they will make the right decision at the right moment. To be sure that if the tournament is going to be played, it will be under safe circumstances. If not, in my opinion, it doesn’t make sense. We need to be responsible.”
Should the Tour get going again, Nadal could face a tough six weeks of tennis with the French Open aiming to take place shortly after the New York major. Also the defending champion at Roland Garros, Nadal has a total of 4000 points to defend at those two events alone. French Open tournament director Guy Forget has recently told reporters that he is hoping to open it up to fans in some capacity as long as the government approves it.
“I admire the French federation for their positivity and that they want to move forward with their tournament. But today the situation is difficult to predict so we need to step back and see how it improves,” said Nadal.
“To come back when it will be safe to come back. For it to be safe and fair for everyone.”
It is also plausible the 34-year-old may opt to play one out of the two majors with him most likely favouring the clay-court grand slam that he has won a record 12 times. Asked directly what he would choose if he was in such a situation, he played down any speculation.
“I can’t predict much. I am just following the information. If a moment arrives where I have to decide, I will decide with my team about the things that are happening. If the moment arrives, we’re going to make decisions about what will be the best for my tennis, my future and my body.”
The Tour must respect all players
As pressure mounts for a decisive decision to be made regarding the remainder of the 2020 season, Nadal has issued his own stance on the matter. Saying that the Tour should be opened up to all players before it resumes. Tennis has the complexity of worldwide travel with players having to congregate in one place. To add to the difficulty, various countries has their own laws regarding how their people should quarantine prior and following travel.
Should this not happen, the world No.2 has openly voiced his opposition to holding tournaments. A potential thorn in the side of the ATP, who rely heavily on the support of the record-breaking Big Three contingent. Furthermore, he is also a key member of the influential Player Council, which is headed by world No.1 Novak Djokovic.
“If we are not able to organise a tournament that is not safe enough or fair enough where every player from every part of the world needs to have the chance to play the tournament we can’t play, that’s my feeling.” Nadal states.
“My feeling is that we need to wait a little bit more. We are in a worldwide sport. For me it is not the same as football or a tournament that can be played in one country. When you mix people from all over the world the complications are completely different. I am a little bit worried about that.”
“But I am positive. I hope to keep receiving positive news, but I don’t know when we will be playing again. Today is not worrying me much, what worries me is returning to normal life.”
However, should push come to shove and the king of clay was given the ultimatum that he can play whilst players from other countries were restricted to, he would do so. Although he would be far from happy if that scenario does happen.
“We need to be clear. We need to be responsible, we need to be sending strong messages and a positive example for society,” Nadal argues. “We are suffering from an unprecedented situation and my feeling is that we need to come back (to the Tour) when all players are able to travel and are safe to do so.”
“If not, I probably will still play, but my feeling would be that we (the ATP) are not being 100 percent correct. I want to see my sport being 100 percent fair and correct. Especially under the circumstances.”
When he does eventually return to competitive tennis, Nadal has played down any concerns over his current match fitness. His last match took place in February when he defeated Taylor Fritz to win his 85th ATP title in Mexico. Overall, he has won 13 out of 16 matches played so far in 2020.
“I think the last couple of years I have learned to play good tennis without the need to play a lot of matches. I think I can find a way to compete at the very highest level without being able to play a lot of matches before,” He commented on his future return.
“I have played a small amount of tournaments in the last couple of years. I think it is all about making the right preparations.’
“I’m confident that I have enough time to prepare myself and organize my calendar. I hope that I will be competitive again.”
Nadal has been spending his time away from the tour in Mallorca.
