‘I Have Talked For Many Hours With Djokovic,' Nadal Reveals How They Are Trying To Help Tennis In Tough Times

Rafael Nadal has insisted that tennis will take a very long time to make a comeback after the coronavirus crisis ends. With the cancelation of the clay and grass court seasons of this calendar year due to the virus outbreak, the global sport has come to a standstill.

Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been tennis rivals for years but the two have decided to put that rivalry aside and come together to help tennis in the time of crisis.

The 19-time Grand Slam champion recently revealed in an interview that he has spoken to Djokovic for hours lately as the two have been discussing ways to help their beloved sport.

“Tennis is a global sport. We move from country to country a lot and people have to move around. Until there is a cure, the situation will be really complicated. We need to be responsible. I cannot see an official tournament in the short or medium-term,” Nadal told Spanish radio station Onda Cero, as per ATP.

“This is very serious, there are many people who are going through a terrible situation. Right now my least concern is tennis. Health comes first. But if it would be possible to play behind closed doors, I would be very happy. I have talked for many hours with Novak Djokovic to see how we can help our sport,” added Nadal, who was aiming to win a record 13th French Open title this year.

Earlier, the organizers of Rolland Garros announced the postponement of this year’s tournament from mid-May to mid-September. The US Open has been postponed too, but the organizers recently insisted that they do not see US Open taking place behind closed doors.

Wimbledon, on the other hand, has been canceled for this year, for the first time since World War II.