Rafael Nadal on Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner's Italian Open absence: "Terrible news...two of the best players of the world are injured"
Rafael Nadal has opened up on the injury-enforced absences of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the Italian Open. While Alcaraz pulled out from the ATP Masters 1000 event with a right arm issue, Sinner withdrew citing a hip problem that cut short his Madrid Open run as well.
Nadal himself is trying to find consistency in terms of outings after yet another lengthy spell out. During a press conference in Rome, the former ATP World No. 1 was asked about youngsters like Alcaraz and Sinner sustaining serious injuries and if he knew of any "solutions."
The 22-time Grand Slam winner said that injuries have always been a part of tennis. However, he mentioned that considering Sinner's form so far this year, he will be sorely missed in the Italian capital. Nadal stated:
"The injuries have been always there. That's the truth. I understand that for you guys Jannik is not playing here is a terrible news, especially the way he's playing this year."
The Spaniard went on to say that if two of the world's best players are not able to play a prestigious tournament like the Italian Open, there is a "deeper conversation" to be had:
"We can talk about that (injuries) for hours because at the end we have been talking about that for so many years. Now with Carlos and with Jannik not playing here, the conversation is on the table again. Nothing changes. Just the coincidence that two of the best players of the world are injured today. So the conversation is a much deeper conversation that today the three [sic] best players of the world are not able to play in Rome."
The 10-time Italian Open champion also spoke about the evolution of tennis, which has had a lot to do about increasing the pace at which the game is played. According to Nadal, this trend has contributed to more and more hard courts, which are notorious for stretching players bodies' to their limits. The Spanish star added:
"If we want to talk about why people gets injured, I tell you very clear: when you push your body to the limit, you get injured at the end. When the game is faster and faster and faster, you get injured. When you play most of the year on hard courts and the surfaces are tougher for the body, you get injured. That's the simple answer."
Rafael Nadal to start his 2024 Italian Open campaign against qualifier Zizou Bergs
Nadal, who has entered the main draw of this year's Italian Open on a protected ranking, will start his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 event against qualifier Zizou Bergs. The match, slated for Thursday, May 9, would mark the pair's maiden meeting on the ATP Tour.
Bergs qualified for the main draw after beating Patrick Kypson and Shang Juncheng across the first and second rounds of qualifying respectively. If Nadal beats the World No. 108, he will set up a second-round clash against No. 7 seed and ATP World No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz.