Rafael Nadal’s former coach, and uncle, Toni Nadal believes that the revised ATP calendar appears very tough on the players, especially those in their thirties.
After more than five months of break because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the men’s tour is scheduled to restart at the Citi Open in Washington DC on August 14.
It will be followed by Cincinnati Masters (to be played at Flushing Meadows) on August 22 and the US Open, which is slated to begin on August 31.
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More importantly though, there is very little time between the hard-court and the clay swing.
The first tournament on clay is in Kitzbuhel, Austria, beginning September, 8 and it will coincide with the second week of US Open.
Two Masters events (Madrid, starting September 13 and Rome, starting September 20) will be held ahead of the French Open.
According to the revised dates by the FFT (French tennis federation), Roland Garros will begin on September 27, less than a month after the start of the US Open.
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“The calendar is unrealistic, especially for players in their thirties, who cannot play so many tournaments over so many weeks in a row,” Toni Nadal told ESPN.
“I spoke to Rafa and he does not yet know which tournaments he will play,” he added.
“I think it’s a bit ugly what ATP did. This scheduling is totally disadvantageous for Rafa and Novak (Djokovic). I think it would be necessary to think again about this calendar because it is impossible to concentrate so many tournaments in such a short time.”
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Nadal, 34, is currently only one major behind Roger Federer’s record tally of 20 Grand Slam titles.
With the quarantine rules and the Coronavirus situation worsening in the United States, the Spaniard might choose to forgo the hard-court Slam.
Over the years, Nadal has struggled physically on the hard-courts late in the season. He had pulled out of the semi-final match against Juan Martin Del Potro at the US Open in 2018.
