Rafael Nadal: "Until there is a cure, the situation will be very complicated"
In an interview with the Spanish radio station COPE,Rafael Nadal talks about his current daily routine and what the tour could look like in times of Corona.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Apr 17, 2020, 08:13 am
The tennis world has stopped spinning for a good month now. No professional tennis has been played since the cancellation of the WTA and ATP events in Indian Wells - an end currently seems far away . This is a very special time for the players, as they can usually take such a long time to regenerate for the first time in their career. The second place in the world rankings, Rafael Nadal, also used this phase at the beginning to let himself go: "I practiced sports reluctantly and reluctantly for a week. I watched TV all day. Over the course of the days, I became routine came back and thought positive, " the Spaniard told the radio station COPE.
He has now put this aside, but rather he has started to think more positively again: "I do my daily exercises, but I have gained a little. I feel better than three weeks ago. The news was terrible and I had don't feel like doing anything, "said Nadal. These days, even with the 19-time Grand Slam champion, tennis is behind, is currently "the least important thing". "I am aware that it is a very serious thing. Many people suffer from it," said the Mallorcan, who participated in charitable activities in his home country.
However, Rafael Nadal cannot completely leave his thoughts to tennis. In conversation with the Spanish radio station, he discusses possible scenarios for how the tour could continue this year: "Tennis behind closed doors? I would be happy, but it is a global sport. Tennis is not like football, our sport includes it more trips. Until there is a cure, the situation will be really complicated. I can't see an official tournament in the short or medium term, " Ubitennis.com quoted last year's US Open winner.
But staging behind closed doors is not a panacea, according to Nadal: "Even if the tournaments were held behind closed doors, we're still talking about 2,000-3,000 people moving from one place to another, and that would make it difficult for them Ensuring security for everyone, "said the Spaniard. Another option would be to only compete against players from countries that have not been so badly affected by the virus or have already survived it. According to Nadal, this is an option, but by no means "the preferred" one.
"Hour-long" talks with Novak Djokovic
Because such a solution would pose some difficulties: "We do not want to become a regional sport, because that would mean a step backwards and that would also create a problem with regard to the ranking, since the best players would compete in different leagues and not against each other. " Many players in the lower positions in the ranking will probably cling to any straw for a quick resumption of the tour, as the current situation means a 100 percent loss of income for them.
That's why the Players Council - which includes Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, among others - is already working on ways to support these players, as the 33-year-old reveals in an interview. "In this council, we try to help people who will have a hard time after the pandemic," said Nadal. Especially with Novak Djokovic he is in lively exchange: "We talked for hours and tried to help our sport. I can only thank him for joining this initiative", Rafael Nadal said about the radio station. At least behind the scenes, the tennis world continues to spin.