The 2021 Australian Open was initially scheduled to begin on January 18 at Melbourne Park, but it was suspended and will begin on February 8 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Spanish great Rafael Nadal has asked other tennis players on the circuit to contemplate the situation they face after undergoing a strict two-week quarantine before playing the Australian Open, and pointed out that they really are privileged.
“I feel bad for all of them who are complying with the quarantine without being able to leave the room to train but we already knew what the measures would be like in a country that is doing things really well in the face of the pandemic,” Nadal told said.
“It’s a different situation than usual, it’s much more sad for everyone, but at least we’re here, we’re going to have a chance to play here.
“The world is suffering in general, so we can’t complain. I feel that we are privileged people today, having the chance to keep doing our jobs,” Nadal added.
Some tennis players believe that it’s easier for top players to always win because of differences in hotels, the places where they stay, how they train.
“There has been talk that Adelaide people have better conditios, but I have not heard from any Melbourne player that some have much better rooms than others,” Nadal said.
“I have not seen some of those who have complained so much about the conditions in Adelaide complaining about the conditions of the more than 20 players have not practiced.” he added.
Nadal added that he would be very excited to pass the injured Roger Federer as the player with the highest number of Grand Slam titles and assured that as a tennis player he has exceeded all the expectations he had when he started.
