Nadal: "We have known for months that Djokovic will not play for a while"

"It's hard for the players, the tournament and the fans"

MADRID, 26 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal confessed his enthusiasm for the US Open, the last 'Grand Slam' of the season to which he has returned since 2019, with better preparation than on his return in Cincinnati, while regretting the loss of Novak Djokovic, although he cannot be surprise.

"We know that Novak will not play for a while if nothing changes in terms of the rules. We have known this for months. From my personal perspective, it is very sad news. It is always a shame when the best players in the world cannot be in a tournament. due to injuries or for different reasons," he said at a press conference.

The champion of 22 'greats' attended the media in New York this Friday and on Tuesday he will debut against the Australian Rinky Hijikata. The absence of 'Nole' was one of the issues. "It is an important absence, hard for the fans, for the tournament, for the players too, because we want to have the best possible squad," he said in the face of the Serbian's lack of permission to enter the United States without being vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"I repeat what I said many times: the sport is bigger than any player. I missed many important tournaments in my career due to injuries. Last year I was not here. Two years ago, neither. The tournament continues. The world of tennis continues Go ahead. Even if it's not good news for everyone, the world goes on and tennis will go on after me, after Novak, after Roger," he added.

On the other hand, Nadal explained the difficulty caused by the abdominal injury that withdrew him from Wimbledon before the semifinals. "It has been hard. The injury to the abdomen is dangerous, you put a lot of effort into serving, you have to look for flexibility and there is a scar. I am looking forward to improving in each training session and being competitive in each match," said the Spaniard.

The man from Manacor returned from London at the Masters 1,000 in Cincy, where he lost in his first match. "In Cincy I fought it and I had my options. I hope to be ready now, practicing at a high level, being careful on serve. The preparation was not long in Cincinnati, now we have to try here with a better preparation," he said.

On the other hand, Nadal was asked about Roger Federer and about their meeting at the next Laver Cup. "I'm excited, super happy to see Federer on court again. It's been a long time without him on court, I hope he can get it." It will be incredible if he can come back and if not we will thank him, but I am sure that we will have Federer for a long time", he finished.