Toni Nadal: 'The schedule is grueling for players like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic'

The ATP calendar was outlined after the suspension from March due to the Covid-19 emergency. It starts on August 14 with the 500 in Washington, to then play the Masters of Cincinnati and the US Open in the 'bubble' of New York. Then a mini season will open on red clay with Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. The first WTA tournament will be in Palermo on August 3rd. In a recent interview with ESPN, uncle Toni criticized the ATP for creating an unfairly grueling schedule. He believes this calendar is grueling for older players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Toni Nadal on the new schedule

"Rafael Nadal told me what they had done regarding the calendar," Toni said. "I find it a little ugly what ATP has done. They have made a calendar that is almost unaffordable for slightly older people: for Rafael Nadal, for Roger Federer, for Novak Djokovic. A young tennis player might still cope" - Uncle Toni stated. "It seems good to me that there are many tournaments. But you should do something with the frequency because if you don't play every week, it is difficult in a month to play the US Open, Rome, Madrid and Paris. It is almost unfeasible," said the Spaniard. Toni also talked about Novak Djokovic: "It was a shame because due to a good initiative to make movement in tennis, there has been a coronavirus problem that has not been good for tennis or for Novak Djokovic and the players," said Toni. "In a situation of so much trouble and more a World No. 1 like Djokovic, it would have been preferable if he had gone with a little more care. I think that in Serbia the measures are not so strict, so they have acted like this. It is a mistake anyone can make. Novak Djokovic has already apologized. In the end, it is a step backwards in the process of normalizing the circuit." The calendar is subject to change and continued assessments will be made relating to health & safety, international travel policies, and governmental approval of sporting events. All events will be held under strict guidelines related to health & safety, social distancing, reduced or no fans on-site. The ATP continues to explore all options for additional ATP 500 and 250 events to be added to the schedule, should circumstances allow.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/383CHho