Rafael Nadal Not Sure If He Wants To Defend His US Open Title In 2020

Rafael Nadal has admitted that given a chance to defend his US Open title this year right now, he will choose to not go for it as he believes tennis must “wait a little bit” before restarting the season amid the coronavirus crisis.

The World No. 2 tennis star has also insisted that tennis must not resume until each player can travel freely and safely.

The ATP and WTA events are not expected to be played until July 13 following the cancelation of Wimbledon, the most prestigious event in the sport, for the first time since World War II. The championships were scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12. The French Open, on the other hand, has been switched from its traditional May-June slot to September-October, while the organizers of the US Open are still in talks about the future of the calendar's final Grand Slam in 2020.

Speaking about tennis’ possible return in 2020, Nadal in a recent interview said, "If you asked me if I want to travel to New York today to play a tennis tournament, I will say no – I will not."

While the U.S. Tennis Association is expected to decide later this month whether the US Open will be played behind closed doors from Aug. 31, the reigning champion Nadal says he has no desire to travel to New York for the tournament until the players are assured of fearless international travel.

“But in a couple of months, I don't know how the situation is going to improve. I am confident that if the tournament is played, it's going to be under extremely safe circumstances. If not, in my opinion, it doesn't make sense,” said Nadal during a video conference call, as reported by ESPN.

“My feeling is we need to be responsible, sending strong messages, and be a positive example for the society. We need to understand we are suffering an unprecedented situation and my feeling is we need to come back when all the players, from all the countries of the world, can travel under safe circumstances. I want to see my sport being 100% fair and correct."

"The key, of course, is to find a medicine that helps us to be sure we can travel and compete without being scared of having the virus and bringing back the virus home. My feeling is we need to wait a little bit more,” the 19-time Grand Slam winner further explained.