Nadal’s “doubts” about an “unattainable calendar”

“Veterans cannot compete for so many weeks in a row,” says Toni Nadal of the ATP’s planned agenda.

Uncertainties about the ATP schedule, which should restart on August 14 in Washington, were redoubled by the Adria Tour scandal and some tennis players, with Rafa Nadal and Nick Kyrgios At the head, they continue to express their doubts about the viability of the US Open, scheduled for August 31. “Rafa is doubting which tournaments to play,” confirmed Thursday. Toni Nadal, former coach of the 12-time champion at Roland Garros.

“The schedule is unaffordable, especially for veterans, who cannot compete for so many weeks in a row,” Nadal’s uncle said during an interview on ESPN, where he reiterated the version offered by Rafa three weeks ago.

On Thursday, there were 40,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the US, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. In the New York area alone there are 31,000 deaths, almost double that of neighboring New Jersey, with almost 15,000.

A week off

Meanwhile, the winner of 19 majors He continues with his preparation in Mallorca, waiting for a definitive solution. However, the seven-day break between the final at Flushing Meadows and the Paris start on clay (September 27) seem to run counter to her interests.

These pressures on the agenda were criticized by Toni Nadal, who warns about the consequences of so much physical burden on Rafa’s battered joints. “It would be key to raise something about the scoring, because it is unfeasible to concentrate so many tournaments in such a short time.”

“A little ugly”

“It seems a bit ugly to me what the ATP has done,” continued the former coach, who considers the decision to tighten the schedule as “totally against Rafa and Novak Djokovic“It amazes me that they do this after all these players did for tennis over the years,” he concluded.

Likewise, Kyrgios showed his refusal to travel to the Big Apple with the current numbers of infections in the country chaired by Donald Trump. This week, the Australian harshly charged against the organizational disaster of the Adria Tour. “This is what happens when you ignore all the protocols. This is not a joke,” he confirmed about the tournament played in Belgrade and Zagreb.