The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal announced this Monday that he has coronavirus and that he learned of the contagion by performing a PCR test on his return to Spain after participating in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. This diagnosis could force him to change his calendar, which has as its next objectives the ATP tournament in Melbourne and the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.
Last week, the one born in Mallorca -who has applied the corresponding doses of the vaccine against covid-19- He had returned to professional activity after four months away from the courts for a persistent injury to his left foot.
“I wanted to announce that on my return home from the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that was performed on me when I arrived in Spain“Nadal wrote in a letter he posted on his social media. The letter soon received thousands of comments from fans wishing a speedy recovery to the current number 6 in the ranking. “We wish you a speedy recovery, Rafa,” they replied from the official ATP account in Spanish.
The Spaniard reported that during his passage through Kuwait and Abu Dhabi all his controls had been negative. “I’m having some unpleasant moments but I am confident that I will improve little by little, “he said, and later explained that he is already isolated and in the process of recovery.
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As a result of this news, the calendar of the winner of 20 Grand Slam titles could undergo modifications. His plan for the next few weeks called for participation in the ATP de Melbourne in the first days of the year, in preparation for its presentation at the Australian Open, whose start date is scheduled for January 17 next. The diagnosis of covid-19 puts this schedule at serious risk.
Last Friday, after four months away from the courts due to a persistent injury, Nadal returned to play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. Beyond that his return was with a defeat against the Scotsman Andy murray (134 °), the former world number one agreed to be able to be active again.
Little could the born in Mallorca do in a duel between two historic players on the circuit and suffered a fall in two sets (6-3 and 7-5) in the match valid for one of the semifinals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. On Saturday, meanwhile, he jumped back onto the track and lost by 7-6 (4), 6-3 and 10-6 before the young Canadian Denis Shapovalov (14th) in a match for third place that lasted two hours.
“I understand that there are people who do not want to be vaccinated, but it seems a bit selfish to me. We have suffered a lot. We do not know one hundred percent the effects of vaccines, but we do have to trust the doctors, what we do know is the effect of the virus if we are not vaccinated. It seems that today we are the country that is least affected by the virus and I think it is because we have a large part of the population vaccinated, “Nadal had said a month ago at an event for the newspaper Marca in Spain.
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The full letter:
Hi all. I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that was performed on me when I arrived in Spain.
Both in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi we passed controls every two days and all were negative, the last being on Friday and having the results on Saturday.
I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me.
As a consequence of the situation, I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will analyze my options depending on my evolution.
I will keep you informed of any decisions about my future tournaments!
Thank you all in advance for your support and understanding.
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