The Spanish Rafael Nadal He assured Friday that on a personal level he feels the “loss” of the Serb Novak Djokovicbecause “it’s always a shame when the best in the world can’t compete”, referring to ‘Nole’s absence from the US Open due to his refusal to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
“Somehow we already know that he will not play, if the rules (of access to USA). On a personal level, I’m sad, it’s always sad when the best in the world can’t play, either because of injuries or for different reasons,” said Nadal at a press conference organized in New York during the day of the media before the beginning. of US Open.
“Not having one of the best players in the world is always a significant loss, difficult for the fans, for the tournament and also for the players, because we always want the best to be there,” he continued.
At the same time, Nadal emphasized that “the sport is bigger than one player” and that tennis will continue even if he, Djokovic or Switzerland’s Roger Federer retire.
“I also lost a lot and lost tournaments because of injuries, but the tournament goes on and the world of tennis, too. Even though (the loss of Djokovic) is not good news, the world and tennis will go on without him Djokovic, without me, without me. Roger Federer). Djokovic is one of the most important players of the last twenty years and personally, I feel sorry for him.”
Nadal returned to New York after missing the last two editions of the tournament and he did so with the hope of returning “to one of the most important places” of his career, where he won four times.
He has been pleased with the pace of training he has experienced in recent days, although he admits that the stomach injury sustained in Wimbledon It’s still conditioning him a little when it comes to take out.
“It is difficult to manage an abdominal injury, it is a place where you need flexibility. But at the beginning, it is not easy, there is a risk of tearing. I hope to be ready,” he said.
“I’m careful with the serve, really, but in general I train with a high level of intensity and I’m quite happy with my level. I’ve been on tour for two weeks, training every day, playing sets every day for the last five days. That’s all. It helps me,” he added.
After the US Open, Nadal will participate in the laver cup, which, in principle, will mark the return of the Swiss Roger Federer.
“I am happy to play the Laver Cup and to see Roger on the track. I hope he is well and he can compete. We will see. I haven’t seen him on the track for a long time and I hope he can come back. The most important thing is that he is healthy and happy. If he is healthy and happy to come back, that will be fantastic. And if not, we can only say ‘thank you’ for what he did,” he said.
“I am confident that we will continue with him for a long time and I am looking forward to playing in the Laver Cup with him,” he concluded.
Nadal returned to compete last week at the Cincinnati tournament, losing in his debut against the Croatian Borna Corica player who practiced a very high level of tennis and was crowned champion.
Source: La Verdad
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