Rafael Nadal asks for patience over Australian Open arrangements in the wake of COVID-19

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during the semifinal match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia at the ATP World Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London. AP

London: Rafael Nadal asked for patience over arrangements for the Australian Open after losing his quarter-final match at the ATP Finals in London on Saturday.

The Spaniard, who never won the eight-man elite event, was defeated 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 by fit Russian Daniil Medvedev, who will play Dominic Thiem in the final of the Sunday.

Australian tennis bosses this week signaled “new challenges” surrounding the arrival of players for the first Grand Slam of the year during the coronavirus pandemic.

In correspondence with the players, the ATP – the men’s tennis tour – It said arrivals originally planned for December were now uncertain, which could disrupt the tight January schedule.

With players facing a 14-day quarantine, any delay could make it difficult to hold the high-profile ATP Cup and other tournaments before the scheduled start of the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 18.

It’s also unclear whether players will be able to train during their quarantine.

Nadal, who did not travel to New York for this year’s US Open, was asked after his loss to Medvedev if there were any circumstances where he would not travel to Melbourne.

“I still don’t know what the situation will be,” he said. “We have to wait for what the Victorian (state) government says.

“We can’t do much from the ATP position or just wait. We don’t have anyone to say what they think is best for their country.”

“We just have to be patient and accept the situation we are facing. That is difficult for everyone. We need to be flexible to understand the situation and figure out how to play as many tournaments as possible next year.”

The 20-time Grand Slam champion said players and tournaments were in an unusual situation after so much disruption as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

“Hopefully with the vaccine, that will end soon and we can return to at least almost normal in a couple of months, but now it is a difficult situation,” he said.

This year’s Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II as a result of COVID-19 while the French Open, which Nadal won, was delayed four months to September / October.