“He Is Right” – Former Grand Slam Champion Defends Rafael Nadal’s Decision to Skip US Open 2020

Veteran tennis player Adriano Panatta who is famous for winning the 1976 French Open, chipped out his thoughts on Rafael Nadal skipping the US Open. Panatta is onboard with the Spaniard’s decision and has some heavy words for this year’s US Open.

Nadal decided to skip the US Open last week where he is the defending champion. The pandemic has not eased in the US and so Nadal is not comfortable traveling there. Also, there is a threat of injuries as players will be playing after 5 months. Given the schedule also demands a quick change in the surface from hard to clay, Nadal is happier to play on the clay court tournaments in Europe.

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“Risk of getting hurt is high in the US Open” – Adriano Panatta

Adriano Panatta deemed Nadal’s decision as right. The injury risk after not playing for 5 months is immense. And so many have followed Nadal in withdrawing from the Grand Slam.

“He is right. I imagine that there are many who do not feel at their best after this long stop, in some cases it takes caution because the risk of getting hurt is high”. Panatta said in a conversation with Il Foglio.

With so many withdrawals and the protocols in place, Pannata feels this will hinder the US Open this year. It will be less ‘fascinating’ and ‘meaningful’ in his opinion. And there is no denying that with the top names withdrawing, this will be a much easier tournament for the participants.

“It is all too evident that all these limitations – make this edition less fascinating and probably even less meaningful. The US Open always remains very important, but with so many absences it is normal that those who decide to participate have a few more chances to go on and for this reason, I think it is not a mistake to talk about results, whatever these will be, polluted by the situation.” Panatta said (quotes have been translated from Italian using Google Translate)

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With so many withdrawals it seems there will always be an asterisk mark on the winners. On Nadal’s side, he is getting ready to defend his French Open title.