Rafael Nadal said on Thursday he would be reluctant to travel to New York this year should the US Open go ahead.

Nadal did not rule out the possibility entirely, but in a video conference, he emphasised the problems rather than the advantages of a tour resumption in mid-to-late August.

With Roger Federer recently revealing his reluctance to play without a crowd, it seems that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is struggling to attract the sport’s most bankable stars.

“It’s not the ideal situation,” said Nadal. “If you asked me today if I want to travel today to New York to play a tennis tournament, I will say: ‘No, I will not.’ In a couple of months I don’t know how the situation will improve. Hopefully it will be the right way and ensure the people who organise the event, the USTA, wants a safe event... We need to be responsible and send a clear message to society and be a positive example on how we need to do things.”

The Daily Telegraph