Madrid: World No. 2 Rafael Nadal is “very pessimistic” over the normal resumption of the professional tennis circuit which has come to a grinding halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“From my point of view, I’m very pessimistic that the circuit can resume a normal activity,” Nadal said in a virtual chat organised by the Spanish Federation of Tennis (RFET).
“In tennis, you need to travel every week, stay in hotels, go to different countries.
“Even if we play without an audience, to organise any event you need a lot of people involved, which cannot be ignored. At an international level I see a serious problem,” he added.
All professional tennis activities remain suspended till July 13 due to coronavirus outbreak which has so far claimed more than 200,000 lives across the world.
The Spaniard also said that the world has been facing a very tough time since last few months.
“We have had a very tough month and a half, with many irreparable losses as well as others that are less important that will still bring great suffering to society, I hope only for a few months, at the economic level,” said Nadal.
“Many people are going to lose their jobs. These are sad moments when you see so many people dying,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nadal’s academy in Mallorca is planning to reach out to other professional players in the WTA and ATP circuit amid the coronavirus pandemic that has frozen tennis action around the world.
Several players and coaches have expressed worries about how most players ranked before the top 100 or even the top 50 of the world rankings will be able to sustain their careers with no matches or tournaments.
“Right now tennis takes back seat and the most important thing is everyone’s health, but if in the coming months the Academy can be used to help other professional players, I’d be delighted if they could come to train and also to compete,” said Nadal in the academy’s release earlier this month.
