Madrid: Spanish tennis star and world no.2 Rafael Nadal said that he doesn’t expect any tournaments to happen in the near future until the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control.
‘I am not worrying about tennis now. I do physical work to not deteriorate my body,’ said Nadal, who turns 34 this year on Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.
The season is suspended until June at least with Wimbledon being cancelled for the first time since the Second World War.
The French Open, which Nadal has won a record 12 times has been postponed to September for now while the women’s leg of the Roger’s Cup, one of the key tournaments in the buildup to the US Open, has been called off.
‘Tennis is not like football, our sport involves more travelling. Until there is a cure, the situation will be really complicated. We need to be responsible. I cannot see an official tournament at short or medium-term,’ he said.
A lot of concerns have been raised on the survival of many players in the absence of tournaments. Nadal said that if the need comes, he will be happy to play behind closed doors.
‘Health comes first. But if it would be possible to play behind closed doors, I would be very happy. I have talked many hours with Novak (Djokovic) to see how we can help our sport,’ said Nadal.