Rafael Nadal is a big loss to US Open, but Djokovic is there - Darren Cahill

Since Rafael Nadal already decided not to participate in this year’s US Open edition, Simona Halep’s coach, Darren Cahill, admitted the Spaniard is a significant loss for the American Grand Slam. Still, he also found some positive aspects, like Novak Djokovic’s participation.

“Normally for a Grand Slam tournament we have 9, 10, 11 players that don’t play anyway, so from the men's side of things we haven't got Nadal, and that's a big loss, but Djokovic is there,” Darren Cahill told Wide World of Sports.

Moreover, Cahill thinks that the US Open will survive without a few of the most prolific players, as many tournaments did in 2016 and 2017.

“If you cast your mind back to a few years ago, there were a bunch of tournaments in 2016-2017 when we didn't have Nadal, Federer, Wawrinka, Del Potro, Raonic, Nishikori, Murray… There's a whole bunch of players who were missing big tournaments, and the tournaments went ahead. And we still had a champion in the men's field and the women's field. The records will show we’ll have a men's champion and a women's champion, and the tournament is going ahead. History will count towards such records.”

Rafael Nadal motivated his decision to not play at the US Open

Although Rafael Nadal’s heart longs for some competitive court time, the Spaniard decided that it’s better to stay away from traveling, so that he can protect his and the spectators’ health.

"This is a decision I never wanted to take, but I have decided to follow my heart this time, and for the time being, I rather not travel. My heart tells me that it would be better to focus on 2021 and leave the current season behind, but there are many other interests. Like all decisions, it wasn't taken lightly, and I had to discuss it with the people around me. I believe that in the current situation, all decisions are valid. There is nothing safe or correct," Rafael Nadal said in the first week of August.

Participating in the US Open was not an easy decision for Novak Djokovic either, as the Serbian declared a few days ago. “It was not an easy decision to make with all the obstacles and challenges on many sides, but the prospect of competing again makes me really excited.”

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