Lapentti doesn’t think the break benefits Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic

Speaking to the EFE agency, the former tennis player Nicolas Lapentti gave his thoughts about the current situation. 

“I think that this break in tennis does not benefit or harm anyone. Everyone is in the same conditions. We still do not know when the circuit will return and until this happens, we will not know who has benefited the most and who has suffered the most. But right now, everyone is in the same conditions,” the Ecuadorian said.

“The more time passes, tennis players like [Roger] Federer or Serena [Williams] are aging and therefore we have less time to enjoy them. Currently they are not suffering any type of wear due to not having tennis. It will be more a mental issue of whether they want to stay active longer and be able to continue competing at a high level,” Lapentti added. 

The former World No. 6 admitted that he thinks it could be probable that no more professional tennis will be played in 2020: “I think tennis should not be resumed until the situation is more controlled. We don’t know when this will happen. At first there was talk of June, after July and I honestly think that until the US Open we won’t see tennis. Then there would only be a couple of months to play tournaments, so I think that the most probable thing is that absolutely nothing will be played this season.” 

On the behalf of the US Open he declared: “I think that the US Open should not be played. In addition to the fact that the Flushing Meadows facilities are currently being used as a hospital or supply center, I think the tennis players could not be ready for that time, and now New York is the epicenter of the pandemic and in complete safety the risk of contagion is even greater for all tennis players and managers.”

Finally, Lapentti criticized the move effectuated by the French Open: “I disagree with the decision made by Roland Garros without having listened to other organizations such as ATP, ITF and especially tennis players. It seemed to me that he made a somewhat selfish decision. He directly released a statement with the resolution, which was very surprising to everyone. It certainly was a mistake.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Y3200b