The 2020 season will resume in August after a very long suspension due to the Coronavirus emergency. The compressed schedule will force many players to make choices, also in order to avoid injury after an unexpected and prolonged stop period.
Pending the final decision on the US Open, Rafael Nadal could be forced to give up defending the title in New York to focus directly on Roland Garros. By triumphing in Paris for the thirteenth time, the Spanish phenomenon would equal the eternal rival Roger Federer in the all-time ranking of the conquered Slams.
The two majors are only a month apart, as well as competing on very different surfaces and in different parts of the world. Annabel Croft, esteemed TV presenter after a career as a player, tried to analyze the situation in an exclusive interview with Tennis365.
Croft on Rafael Nadal
“There are only two weeks between the US Open and the French Open, so someone like Rafael Nadal will have to make a decision,” Annabel Croft told Tennis365. “Do you go to America and play your best of five-set matches that could impact your hopes of getting good results on your favorite surface? I guess most of the best players will try to play both events if they can, but players who are likely to make it to the US Open back end may not be the best for the French Open as they show up so quickly.
This is a decision that Rafa will have to consider, but I still believe that the US Open can be a great event, even if some of the best players are not there. There will be so many great stories to tell in tennis in the coming months and that’s why I can’t wait for the tournament to start. “
In the meantime, the director of the Mutua Madrid Open Feliciano Lopez has already confirmed the presence of the former number 1 at the World Masters 1000, which will be held in the Spanish capital immediately after the conclusion of the US Open.
Although there has been no confirmation from Rafa’s camp, his uncle Toni Nadal has had some comments on his nephew’s participation in the US Open. Toni indicated that Rafa is hesitant and it is impossible to compete between the US Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open in a month.
“It was hesitant; he told me about the calendar. It is difficult in a month to make the US Open, Rome, Madrid and Paris; it’s almost impossible, ”said Toni.
