Rafa Nadal spoke about the case of Novak Djokovic and his possible deportation from Australia because his visa does not meet the requirements to enter the country without having the complete vaccination schedule against COVID. He did it this Thursday after beating Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis in the round of 16 at the ATP 250 in Melbourne.
“What happened is not good for anyone, but I don’t have all the details to have a clear opinion on the Djokovic issue,” said the Spaniard. “At the end of the day, I can only say that we are going through difficult times, with many families suffering over the last two years, and it is normal that people in Australia are frustrated by this case, because they have had many restrictions, many Australians who do not they have been able to return home or move from their cities, “he continued. “I can only say that I think people who know about medicine say that we have to get vaccinated, and we need to. I passed COVID and I have done it twice, and if you do, you have no problem playing at the Australian Open or anywhere. Of the rest, I do not think, because I lack information “, explained the winner of 20 Grand Slams. “The world has suffered enough not to follow the rules. Everyone should do what they think is good for them, but not vaccinating can cause inconvenience.It is the only way to stop this pandemic, “he said.
On the decision made by Djokovic, Nadal said the following: “I think that if he wanted to play he could have done it without problems. Everyone is free to make their own decisions, but they have consequences. I don’t like this situation, and I feel sorry for him in some way, but I’ve known the conditions for months. “
Finally, already in Spanish, Rafa justified his point of view: “Many people have died around the world and what medical personnel and all governments and health organizations tell us is that the only way to stop this is vaccination and if you are vaccinated, you have no problem playing here, I repeat. You can look for ways to play without doing it, but here you have to follow some rules. He has made his decisions, no one forces him to be vaccinated or not, he is an elderly person and with his decisions he has to pay the consequences. Unfortunately we are in a pandemic and we have to stop it whatever it takes, and the only way is to follow the instructions and the rules that they tell us. “
Your experience with COVID
Nadal revealed how COVID happened, when he was infected on his trip to Abu Dhabi: “I went through very difficult times for four or five days. It was hard, and after that I felt very tired and had a fever. I had to be in bed for a couple of days without having the opportunity to move a lot because I was very sick with a fever, one of the hardest flu symptoms I have ever had. When my CRP came back negative I decided to come here asap because in my opinion it is the best mental and physical way to try to recover. and be ready and adapt to the conditions here in Australia. “
Regarding his physical condition, Rafa said the following: “I think he trained well. I’ve been here in Melbourne for a week, much better than expected after being at home 10 days locked up without being able to do anything. Then the games arrive. At times I have not been bad, at others I have made some mistakes, mobility could have been better. Everything within logic. Now it is a daily job, to take steps forward. It may be that sometimes you give two forward and one backward, but the important thing is to always continue with a positive mindset and looking forward to the future, bearing in mind that the laps after many months without racing are complicated. I know from experience, unfortunately. You have to be patient and forgive your mistakes. Look at the glass half full. He is going to put me to bed, but I have returned with victory. See if I can improve. “