By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Tennis’ king of clay is heading into the 2020 French Open full of uncertainties and doubts due to numerous external factors.
World no. 2 Rafael Nadal is seeking to tie Roger Federer for the all-time record of 20 grand-slam titles and he thinks this will be the hardest of all his campaigns since turning professional.
“The conditions here are probably the most difficult conditions for me ever at Roland Garros for so many different facts,” said Nadal.
Furthermore, the Spanish sensation explained that the temperature has dropped and this is the first time that Roland Garros will be staged in a cold environment.
Aside from the cold atmosphere of the playing ground, Nadal also complained about the new balls that will be used in the tournament.
The leftie star explained that the balls looked and felt different from the usual balls they used. “The ball is completely different. It is super slow, heavy.”
“I really believe that the organization needs to take a look at that for the next couple of years, for the health of the players, too, because the ball is super heavy and becomes dangerous for the elbow and for the shoulders,” added Nadal.
Nadal and his camp also admitted that they are entering the tourney with fewer preparations than their usual but they can’t blame the situation with the pandemic going on.
