If given the option, Rafael Nadal said he would scrap this season entirely so tennis could resume normally in 2021.
The second-ranked Spaniard, who is 33 years old and has won 19 Grand Slam titles, said he hoped to resume playing this year but doubted it could happen because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I would sign up right now just to being ready for 2021,” Nadal said in interviews with El País and other Spanish newspapers.
“I’m more concerned with the Australian Open than with what happens later this year. I think 2020 has been practically lost. I’m hopeful of being able to start next year.”
Nadal’s assertion coincides with the announcement of the French tennis federation (FFT) on Tuesday that the French Open — Nadal’s happy hunting ground — would shift back a week from the September window they previously claimed in hopes that a restructured calendar is still possible later this year.
Nadal would have the opportunity to tie Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams with a 13th French Open crown, but after seeing many marquee events like Monte Carlo and Wimbledon wiped away for the year, the left-hander is struggling to get past what’s already gone.
“Sadly, I’m not going to lie to you, the feeling is that we are losing a year of our lives,” Nadal said. “And at 33, 34 years old, that is more valuable than at 20, when you have more time ahead of you.”
But Nadal’s hopes of seeing the Slam season begin next year with the Australian Open could also be dashed.
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said on Wednesday that the first Grand Slam of the new year too could be cancelled, and even if it were to go ahead, fans from abroad would not be able to attend.
“Worst-case scenario is no AO,” he said on Wednesday.
“Our best-case scenario at this point is having an AO with players that we can get in here with quarantining techniques and Australian-only fans.”
Nadal said the logistical difficulties of having to move people from country to country for tournaments make it hard for tennis to resume safely amid the pandemic.
Nadal also complained about “confusing” information regarding the return to practice of tennis players in Spain. He said he went to train on a private court because it wasn’t clear to him whether he could practice normally after the government eased some of the lockdown measures that have been in place in the country since mid-March.
“It’s not clear to me whether I can go practice or not,” Nadal said.