Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal all set to prefer French Open over US Open this year: Report

Novak Djokovic, who recently recovered from COVID-19, has once again raised doubts over his participation in the upcoming US Open 2020 following the restrictions being imposed by United States Tennis Association (USTA) while announcing the schedule.  As per the US Open 2020 schedule, the buildup to the event will start with the Citi Open in Washington DC. The Citi Open will be followed by the Western & Southern Open and the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 event in Flushing Meadows in the lead up to US Open. The US Open is scheduled from August 31 to September 13.

Also read: Novak Djokovic Less Hesistant To Play In US Open After Further USTA Convincing

Novak Djokovic on his participation in US Open 2020 

Recently, while speaking to ESPN, Novak Djokovic said that he would love to play the US Open 2020 hoping that there's going to be a better scenario and safety measures will loosen up a bit. He had also said that he is going to wait a bit and see how it all turns out and currently he cannot tell whether he would participate or not.

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The Serbian star continued to stick to his earlier stance during his recent interview with Zurnal, where he said that he is still not sure about his participation at the upcoming US Open 2020. He further said that he is certain about not playing in Washington and Cincinnati while taking part at Roland Garros is safe. He also spoke about his plans to travel to Madrid and Rome.

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Rafael Nadal cast doubts over US Open 2020 participation 

Just like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal's participation at US Open 2020 is also doubtful. Earlier, Rafael Nadal had said that for the US Open 2020 to happen, it all depends on how the situation is going to be in New York in a couple of months. A recent tweet from Spanish tennis player Feliciano Lopez has really cast doubts over Rafael Nadal defending the US Open title.

Also read: Novak Djokovic And His Wife Recover From COVID-19 Ten Days After Testing Positive

Feliciano Lopez, in his tweet, stated that Nadal has confirmed that he will be playing in the Madrid Masters, which starts the day after the final of the Grand Slam tournament in New York. The Madrid Masters and the Rome tournament are key warm-up events in buildup to the French Open 2020, which was rescheduled for 27th September. 

French Open 2020 schedule 

Following the completion of US Open 2020, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will shift their focus towards clay season starting with the Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, which will take place in the month of September. The French Open 2020, which was originally scheduled to take place from May 24 to June 7, was rescheduled to September 27 to October 11 in Paris following the COVID-19 pandemic. While Rafael Nadal is the defending champion, Novak Djokovic will be looking to win his second title.

(IMAGE: NOVAK DJOKOVIC / INSTAGRAM )