Published 12:46 IST, June 3rd 2020
Rafael Nadal turns 34: World No.2 expresses conditional desire to play in French Open 2020
Rafael Nadal, during a recent interview, said that if French Open 2020 tournament take place in September, he would defend his title if conditions are safe.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
The sport of tennis has already lost a major part of its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic with players forced to take a break and stay at home. Following the conclusion of the Australian Open 2020, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, the French Open was postponed until September while the Wimbledon Championships were called off due to the dire situation in the UK.
Currently, the Rafael Nadal birthday celebrations are also on hold due to COVID-19, but the Spaniard said that if the French Open 2020 tournament were to take place in September, he would be in Paris to defend his title as long as the players can play in a condition which is completely safe. The World No.2 recently returned to the tennis court after some rules were relaxed following a difficult Coronavirus Spain situation.
Rafael Nadal birthday: Rafael Nadal on his participation in French Open 2020
Rafael Nadal, during an interview with Stade 2 on France 3, was asked about his participation at French Open 2020. Rafael Nadal replied that he is not seeing the future of tennis from a professional point of view but from a medical and health point of view. The World No.2 said that he would play the French Open 2020 even though he wouldn't prefer playing without fans in the arena.
Also Read: Roger Federer Differs From Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic Over 'behind Closed Doors' Tennis
Rafael Nadal birthday: Spaniard on playing tennis behind closed doors
Talking further about playing tennis behind closed doors, Rafael Nadal admitted that tennis could have to deal with the prospect of this happening for a temporary period. He said that there is nothing that replaces the presence of the public and the energy that it generates. Currently, Rafael Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles in his career and winning a French Open 2020 title will help him equal the all-time record in men's tennis held by Switzerland's Roger Federer.
The Spaniard further said that he plans to see himself in a world where the health of all the people who work around tennis is protected but the current situation is very complicated and no one knows how things will develop. Rafael Nadal further said that he was hoping that a quick solution can be found out to resume normal activity.
Rafael Nadal birthday: Rafael Nadal retirement rumours send fans in disbelief
Last week, social media was buzzing with Rafael Nadal retirement rumours ahead of the Rafael Nadal birthday occasion on Wednesday. Fans were left shell shocked after the term 'Rafael Nadal retirement' began trending on Twitter. As fans tried to dig into more details about Nadal's retirement, they found out that it was not the human Rafael Nadal that was going into retirement but rather it was Nadal the horse that was being retired.
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Updated 12:46 IST, June 3rd 2020