Spaniard Rafael Nadal said on Friday he was saddened by the absence of Serbian Novak Djokovic from the US Open, the fourth grand slam in tennis, on his return to New York for the first time in three years.
The Spaniard has not played in the tournament since winning the title in 2019 in five exciting sets once morest Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Since then, the Spaniard has added three more major titles, taking his tally to 22 and holding the all-time record.
While the 36-year-old will look to boost this number as of Monday, he admitted that the absence of Djokovic, aspiring to equal his number in the Grand Slam, is very sad, following the latter confirmed his absence due to his inability to travel to New York for not receiving the anti-Coronavirus vaccine.
“From my point of view, it’s very sad news,” Nadal said. It is always unfortunate when the best players in the world cannot participate in a tournament due to injury or other reasons.”
“In this case, not having one of the best players in history in a Grand Slam is always a big loss, isn’t it? This is difficult for the fans and for the tournament. In my opinion, it is difficult for the players as well because we want to have the best elite.”
But despite Djokovic’s absence, Nadal insists the tournament will not fade.
In this regard, he said, “I repeat what I have said many times: the sport is greater than any player. “I missed a lot of important tournaments in my career because of injuries, without a doubt. Last year I wasn’t here. Two years ago I wasn’t here. The tournament goes on, the tennis world goes on…even if it’s not good news for everyone, the world and tennis will continue following me, following Novak, following Roger (Federer).”
Nadal started 2022 in style following winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros before an abdominal injury forced him to withdraw before the Wimbledon semi-finals.
He returned to the Cincinnati Masters this month, but was eliminated in the first game of the second round.