The Australian Open has been supporting criticism and pressure in recent days, especially since the Serbian Novak Djokovic raised the possibility of suspending, postponing or transferring the tournament to the poor air quality
Rafa Nadal, with young tennis players in Melbourne.
Rafael Nadal has asked for “honesty” not to blame the fires that plague Australia of everything that happens in the Tennis Open that starts this Monday in Melbourne.
“We will all be honest, and I want to be understood well, both those you write and those we are playing. We will analyze each situation, specialists will determine if we are in a situation of some risk or no risk, “said the Mallorqun during a press conference before the start of the first Grand Slam of the season.
The Australian Open has been supporting criticism and pressure in recent days, especially since the Serbian Novak Djokovic It will raise the possibility of suspending, postponing or transferring the tournament to the poor air quality derived from the devastating fires that affect large areas of the eastern part of the country.
On Tuesday, at the start of the qualification round for the tournament, the Slovenian Delilah Jakupovic he left his party before the difficulties to breathe, since the smoke had taken possession of the city. The situation triggered the critics of several players. This weekend, with a change in wind direction and rain forecasts for Sunday and Monday, the situation changed.
Both Nadal and the Swiss Roger Federer they have been cautious when referring to the subject and defended the decision of the direction of the tournament to move forward with the contest. The fires that plague East Australia have already cost 25 lives and burned an area the size of Aragn, in addition to decimating local wildlife. There are scientific estimates that speak of the death of between 500 and one billion animals.
“To me the response of the tournament has convinced me. I respect and trust that the tournament is doing things thinking about the tournamentobviously and also in the players, “he said Nadal. “I don't think we're going to have poor air quality throughout the tournament, I think we're going to be fine,” the Swiss agreed.
Nadal, which debuted on Tuesday facing the Bolivian Hugo Dellien, distanced itself from the position of Djokovic, which did not fit precisely among those responsible for the Australian federation, responsible for the organization of the tournament, as he questioned the opportunity to celebrate the event.
“In the end what I don't like is talking about things I don't know. I don't try to talk as little as possible. I prefer to listen to the experts. I cannot position myself in favor of suspending the tournament. Based on what? On the basis that there is smoke? Until when there is smoke, until when there are negative or not so negative conditions, until when are conditions harmful to health or not? They are issues that I, like Rafael Nadal, I have no choice to answer because I don't know. I have to be cautious for the simple reason that I don't know. ”
“I have to inform myself, the situation has been explained to me, they have convinced me, I have been training every day. I wish we didn't have any fire, without any doubt, that is the greatest degsracia. What we don't have to do is that before anything that happens during the tournament we will blame the smoke. No. In the tournaments there are retreats, it is a place where it is very hot, there are people who give it a heat stroke, as it gave me Sydney a few days ago, “added Roland Garros's twelve-time champion before closing with forcefulness. : “We play with a worse air in other cities of the world”.
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