Toni Nadal: "Tennis means nothing to me in the current situation"
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo,Toni Nadal talks about the postponement of Roland Garros, his tournament in Mallorca and tells how Bill Gates has already warned his nephew, Rafael Nadal .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Apr 11, 2020, 06:23 pm
Toni Nadal is not afraid to give his assessments of current events in the tennis circus. Be it the analysis of the final of the Australian Open between Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic , or the classification of the interruption of the ATP tour caused by the corona virus. According to "Uncle Toni", this would hardly have been foreseeable in advance, as tournament director of the Challengers in Mallorca he would have been very attentive to the developments, "but only with the cancellation of Indian Wells did you know that complications would come," explained Toni Nadal in Interview with Mundo Deportivo.
However, it did not happen completely unexpected, because Rafael Nadal had already been made aware of the situation in advance. And that from Bill Gates, with whom he was on the pitch at the Match in Africa. "They were talking, and at some point during the conversation, Bill Gates told my nephew that you couldn't travel in two months," said Toni Nadal. "And that's how it happened." With Wimbledon's cancellation, a grand slam has now fallen victim to the virus. A decision that Toni Nadal can only understand: "I say it is logical that it will not be played because you can no longer play on grass in September," says the 59-year-old.
On the other hand, you could very well play in Mallorca, where a Challenger has been held on grass since 2018. "It is possible to play in Mallorca until October. The options are far away, but you still have to hurry." Doing this now is "work that needs to be done. Although something else is currently a priority," Nadal continues. Tennis means nothing to him at the moment, but the focus is on containing the corona virus. Spain is one of the most affected European countries, Toni Nadal is currently facing an "outrageous and unimaginable" situation.
Nadal: "Will only be played if there is a clear security measure"
This is exactly how his grandson, second in the world rankings, Rafael Nadal, sees it, as Toni Nadal reveals in the interview. Rafa doesn't care about tennis either. Nevertheless, Toni Nadal is not worried that his long-time protégé will return out of shape: "As a child, Rafael had not played for a week and then found it difficult to catch the ball again. But from a certain age, with more experience, not He never attacked a racket for three months due to injuries, but after a week, at most 10 or 15 days, he was okay again. It will be a similar situation, "explains" Uncle Toni ". It will be a fairly balanced situation for everyone at the start, although in some countries it will be possible to play again sooner and young players will probably have a little more problems with the situation, said the Spaniard.
Toni Nadal also speaks in an interview about the postponement of the French Open, which had caused a lot of criticism in the tennis world. "There are people who complain that they have not been consulted, but when I am Roland Garros, I do not consult them, I am worried about my tournament without wasting time that is valuable for one or the other question September is still a bit nice weather in Paris, "said Nadal. But Nadal does not see the new appointment as set in stone either, the situation around the corona virus is simply too unpredictable. "It is only played when there is a very clear security measure," Toni Nadal is convinced.