Rafael Nadal, who would have celebrated his 34th birthday at Roland Garros on Wednesday had the Grand Slam of clay beaten by the coronavirus pandemic not been postponed, He participated this Thursday in a videoconference with international media organized by the tournament.
How are you: “I just try to be positive and I try to think that the situation is improving.”
Roland Garros change dates: “I haven't talked to them much. I received notification that they wanted to move the event to September ten minutes before they made the official announcement. I try to speak to ATP and the players to try to make this happen, but it's difficult to take a decision and it is difficult to fix the schedule. Today the situation is what it is, and it is very difficult to predict anything. “
Back to the circuit: “We should return only when everything is guaranteed to be safe. We must make sure that the situation is safe for everyone.”
US Open: “It is not the ideal situation. If you ask me if I would travel to New York today, I answer not. But that is today, in two months we do not know what will happen, although fortunately the situation is going in the right direction. I am sure that Both the organizers of the US Open and those of Roland Garros want a safe event, that they only want to celebrate it if health is guaranteed, so I am convinced that they will make the right decision. We need to be responsible and send a clear message to society. “To be a good example. I want my sport to be one hundred percent clean and fair. Organizing a tournament with 10 people is easier, but a Grand Slam is very different in terms of workers, teams, etc.”
Inactivity: “The last two years I have learned how to play good tennis without having to play many games. Obviously I am worried about stopping, but I think it is all about making a good preparation. Everyone should be worried, but I am sure that once I can organize my schedule a little I can prepare myself well to be competitive. “
Training: “I am in a country where tennis players have not been able to train in the last two months, without picking up the racket, so I have only been able to play in the last two weeks because I do not have a track at home. The important thing now is to avoid injuries, so some days I only practice an hour, others half … “.
What will happen to the season: “I cannot predict the future. We are in terrible circumstances, with many people suffering and dying, so I have not thought much about tennis. If we are not able to organize the circuit in a fair and safe enough way, and when I speak I'm talking about players from any part or country of the world, we can't play tennis. What will happen? I don't know. The key is medicine. We can't play with fear of contracting the virus or knowing that we can bring it home, so we have to wait a little longer. Tennis is not like soccer, which can be organized in one country, so it is completely different, very complicated. Today what worries me is to return to normality and that people are all right”.
Pandemic: “The situation has been very ugly. When you see all these things it is terrible and you cannot imagine that they could happen, but I hope that everything is controlled and that you are able to return to a positive life, with respect for everyone, and that you live in peace. There is nothing in this world but peace. We all must fight racism, poverty and those terrible things that happen more than they should, but the situation is what it is. When you see what is happening in things, my feeling is that this is not the way to fix things. I firmly believe in people and I believe that we will be able to fix problems and that everyone has the same opportunities, the same rights. Of course, We must continue to work hard to make this world a better place. There is violence, and the pandemic has created a difficult atmosphere. It is important to remain calm. Violence must be avoided, because violence is the only thing that generates disasters. “
Learning: “What I have learned is that we shouldn't complain every day about stupid things.”
“The world cannot stop, but the pain is respected”
At the end of the videoconference, Nadal attended the news agencies, including the Spanish EFE. “The vaccine would be a great solution”Nadal said. “It will give us freedom and security to regain our life in general, it would solve everything. If we were told that there would be a vaccine in December, I would say that there is no point in playing earlier because it is not worth it,” he added.
“In any case, the world cannot be stopped for a specific time”, noted the player. “You do not have to get carried away by the disaster, I think it is the best for health. The bad virus would be that. But we must not forget the pain that people have suffered from all this pandemic and its consequences and respect it,” he said. Nadal believes that this break is different for young people compared to older ones. “In tennis, it is not the same to keep your body prepared with 21 than with 34 years,” he said referring to his name on Wednesday. “I know from the times when I have been injured how difficult it is, but also the most veterans have more experience in these situations. The truth is, I do not know what will happen”, he pointed out.