Nadal: "US Open? Pass from hard to clay-courts is dangerous"

With a decision that certainly did not take the insiders particularly by surprise, the world number 2 Rafael Nadal announced a few days ago that he would not participate in the US Open 2020, a tournament where he would have to defend the title of defending champion.

The world of tennis was forced to stop five months ago due to the global pandemic of Covid-19 and the men's season should start again in a couple of weeks with the American Tour and with strict rules and safety protocols. Many players do not yet feel ready to travel to the United States in these conditions, and they also risk a quarantine once they come back to their countries.

Winner of four US Open titles, Nadal is the main absence of this tournament. He has always said he does not like this situation and has avoided training on the hard-courts in recent weeks. Instead, he preferred to spend time with friends and family, enjoying time on his new yacht, playing golf and training on clay-courts for Rome (but it is not sure he will play in Italy) and the Roland Garros. The Madrid tournament will not take place but Rafa has not changed his thinking about it: he has decided to skip New York and prepare to try to conquer the 13th title at the French Open.

What is the other reason for which Rafael Nadal will not play the US Open

In a recent interview Rafa had even stated that he would have preferred to end the season and postpone everything to 2021. His decision to skip the US Open was not at all easy but after a consultation with his family and his staff he opted for it.

Here are some of his statements: "The health situation is the first major inconvenience when I made this decision. The situation seems not to have full control and therefore after consulting with my team, we decided to skip the US Open. Also, going from hard-courts to clay-courts without proper preparation can be dangerous for my body and my future.

It's a matter of personal spirit, I had no intention of traveling to New York and competing at all. If I am going to participate in a tournament all my senses have to be focused to give my best and it would have been difficult to do it these days. This is also why I chose to make this decision," said the Spanish champion.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2XVfyd8