Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pause Hot Streak As French Open Postpones Schedule

Rafael Nadal will have to wait in order to defend his Roland Garros title. Nadal is known to be the best clay-court player in the world given the way he has dominated his way to 12 French Open titles. He is gunning for his 20th overall Grand Slam and is seeking to tie Roger Federer with the most Majors in history.

But not too far behind them is Novak Djokovic who is having a phenomenal year. The Serbian is still World Number One and has not lost a match for the entire 2020. These two top players will have to standby as their hot streak of winning is put to a pause due to COVID-19.

The coronavirus continues to impact the entire world with the threat it brings to everyone. Thousands are being infected and people are panicking, as COVID-19 remains to be the world’s first concern. With the effects of the virus, multiple sporting events have been suspended.

The NBA’s suspension came when multiple players have been tested positive of coronavirus. Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert was the first to be infected followed by fellow All-Star Donovan Mitchell and Detroit Pistons Center Christian Wood. Just recently the two-time finals MVP Kevin Durant was also tested positive of the virus.

Several leagues across the world have halted their scheduled events as well. One example is WrestleMania where the largest production of the wrestling industry is reduced to a live stream in their performance center.

In the tennis world, the Indian Wells Masters was the first to be canceled that shocked the entire community. But soon after, the coronavirus was declared as a global pandemic, increasing the sense of urgency from everyone.

With this, the French Open was affected as the organizers decided to postpone the event to September and will end in October. The annual clay-court event is played during the month of May.

The implication of this is that the tournament will be played immediately a week after the US Open concludes – assuming that the US Open will not be affected.

The French Tennis Federation said by way of BBC, that the lockdown made it impossible for them to continue organizing the event. They added that it was to "guarantee the health and safety of all those involved in the preparation of the tournament.”