Rafael Nadal: head to 2021, heart to 2020

Head or heart: Rafael Nadal will have to make some very important choices in the coming days, to try to understand what to do with this season, after the decision not to defend the title at the US Open and after the Mutua Madrid Open was canceled.

So Rafa will have to make a choice with his head or his heart. He is a very experienced, wise and intelligent player, and is therefore considering whether to do like Roger Federer, or as a back directly to the Australian Open 2021 and skip the rest of 2020.

He is still undecided whether to play in Rome or not: "I'm preparing for the season in Europe, but a lot will depend on how the situation will be. Whether everything will be under control or not. Going from hard court to clay is always quite dangerous for my body and above all for my future. Even if I decided to play the US Open I would have continued to train on red. At present I don't know if I will play in Rome. After the cancellation of the Madrid tournament, I am waiting for the new calendar. At that moment I will take a final decision," he said.

What will Rafael Nadal do for Rome and Paris?

Words that alarm his fans, but that make it clear how much he is carefully evaluating the European health situation, after the cases of Covid-19 are on the rise, even in Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the UK. However, Rafa, after losing 2000 points from the US Open, will also have Roland Garros to defend. And in fact, here the heart takes over: Nadal could play without problems in Paris if the safety and health conditions were to be adequate.

Regarding the US Open, he said: "My heart suggests to me that it would be better to concentrate fully on 2021, but there are also many other interests at stake. It was not an easy decision to make, but the situation in the world is still a lot. complicated. We have decided that we will stay here, hoping that the situation will improve and that we can return to the field soon. The US Open is a great tournament, I am not so arrogant as to argue otherwise just because I will not be present

I never wanted to live a year like this. Neither me nor anyone else. Later we will see what 2021 has in store for us, I will face it with the greatest hope and with the utmost professionalism. I hope to play Roland Garros, this is my hope. I am preparing, but we have to wait to see how the picture of the pandemic will evolve in the coming weeks. The situation appears to have worsened slightly. My wish is to be there for the tournament, but only if conditions permit."

But Rafael Nadal will still have to evaluate the European health situation in the coming weeks to decide what to do or what not to do, always poised between the reason of the headand those of the heart.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3kRgitN