Toni Nadal defends Novak Djokovic, but warns of the 'serious problems' the virus can cause to athletes
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the tennis tours on a variety of grounds, including international travel, health restrictions and economic challenges. But the debate around tennis' restart over the last few months has been majorly centred around one event - Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour.
Djokovic has been at the receiving end of criticism from all quarters for organizaing an event with lax safety protocols. But there have been some who have defended him too, including Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni Nadal.
In a recent interaction, the Spaniard talked about the Adria Tour and pointed out that the Serb didn't do anything that wasn't authorized by the concerned officials. He also elaborated on the dangers of the virus on professional athletes, and how the need of the hour is to be extremely careful with every small aspect.
People are more aware of what can happen: Toni Nadal on repercussions of Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour
Toni Nadal claimed that it was time for fans to move past the Adria Tour disaster, since Novak Djokovic could never have anticipated what was going to happen.
"What happened on the Adria Tour will never happen again," Toni Nadal said. "What happened was unimaginable. I don't want to be the devil's advocate, but Novak Djokovic only did what he did because he was authorized."
The event, which was hosted and funded by Novak Djokovic and members of his family, led to four players - Borna Coric, Grigor DImitrov, Viktor Troicki and Djokovic himself - testing positive for COVID-19. Toni Nadal had previously spoken about the Adria Tour and its repercussions, and he wasn't too keen on criticizing Novak Djokovic then either.
On this occasion, the Spaniard emphasized how dangerous the virus can be for tennis players on tour, and how important it was for everyone to learn from past mistakes.
"Still, the situation is different now. People are more aware of what can happen, especially people who travel a lot and who know that they have to be much more careful," said Toni.
Grigor Dimitrov, who was the first to contract COVID-19 at Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour, spoke recently about the after-effects of the virus. Even a month after falling prey to the virus, the Bulgarian was still experiencing fatigue and erratic health conditions.
Toni reinforced the danger of those 'serious problems' while advocating players to be more vigilant.
"For a sportsman who wants to be in shape, it is already known that if he catches the virus he can have very serious problems. They will be very careful," the Spaniard said.
During the course of the interview, Toni Nadal also spoke about his nephew Rafael Nadal, and his 'decision of prudence' to decide to skip the US Open and focus on his preparations for the European clay swing.