LONDON: Tennis star Rafael Nadal urged patience over the arrangements for the Australian Open after losing his last-four match at the ATP Finals in London on Saturday.
The Spaniard, who has never won the elite eight-man event, was beaten 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 by in-form Russian Daniil Medvedev, who will play Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final.
Nadal, who did not travel to New York for the US Open this year, was asked after his defeat by Medvedev whether there were any circumstances under which he would not travel to Melbourne.
“I don’t know what’s the situation going to be yet,” he said. “We need to wait about what the (state) government there in Victoria says.
Australian tennis chiefs this week flagged “new challenges” around the arrival of players for the first Grand Slam of the year during the coronavirus pandemic.
In correspondence with players, the ATP — the men’s tennis tour — said arrivals originally planned for December were now uncertain, potentially disrupting the packed 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 is also unclear whether players will be allowed to train during their quarantine.
