Coronavirus: Frustrated Nadal trying to keep focus

MADRID • Rafael Nadal has expressed his frustration that tennis players have not been able to return to practice amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Spanish government has extended the country's state of alarm until May 9, with the entire population confined to their homes except for a small number working in specific essential sectors.

While the world No. 2 admitted that he was perplexed as to why the sport is considered non-essential, the Spaniard will toe the line.

"It's true I don't understand very well because we cannot play tennis when many people are going to work," he said during an Instagram Live video chat on Monday.

"Even more so in our sport, where we keep at a large and safe distance, and we play on opposite sides of the court.

"But I understand that we are in a very critical situation, and that the government is dealing with something unprecedented and I understand the last thing they think of is who can train and who cannot train.

"I understand the situation and obviously, there are many things that are not logical, but you have to accept the rules."

Nadal also brought in 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and three-time Major winner Andy Murray to talk about how they were getting on, with Switzerland and Scotland respectively under lockdown too.

The ATP and WTA Tours will not recommence until mid-July at the earliest due to the Covid-19 crisis, while Wimbledon was cancelled last month for the first time since World War II.

The French Open, which Nadal has lifted a record 12 times, has also been pushed back to Sept 20, and the 19-time Major winner admitted he was pining for a return.

"I am not playing tennis, I do not have a court at home and I miss it a little," he said.

"I am sticking to my physical routines. From the gym of my academy, they were able to bring me some machines when lockdown began so I try to work a little in the morning, a little in the afternoon.

"It is very important to have both the head and the body focused, and it is what I am trying to do at all times."

Swiss maestro Federer, meanwhile, gave an update on his recovery process after deciding to undergo surgery in February, adding that the rehabilitation was going well.

However, he refused to set a timeline for his return, claiming that he would only do so once his knee was well.

With tennis at a standstill, players can only wait it out, but Billie Jean King is hopeful that the sport will emerge stronger from the crisis and appoint a commissioner down the road like the National Basketball Association or golf's PGA Tour.

"This is a good time to reset and to have one voice, which we really never had. We need that desperately," the 12-time Major winner said on the Tennis Channel yesterday.

"We are not the biggest sport in the world, we don't have as much money as say, soccer.

"(The crisis) shows the inequities that go on... This is a really good chance to have a new normal."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS