Nadal gives Djokovic a serve over hotel quarantine conditions

With the Australian Open now only two weeks away, the world’s best tennis players are starting to come out of quarantine to hit the practice courts and finetune their skills in warm-up tournaments.

One of those players, Rafael Nadal, has been quiet in the lead up to the Open, but has finally had his say about hotel quarantine conditions and in doing so has had a dig at world number one Novak Djokovic. 

The pair is completing what has been a controversial two-week isolation, with several players complaining about the hard lockdown.

72 players went into lockdown, after being considered close contacts of COVID-19 positive passengers who flew into Australia.

Some players even hit out at Nadal for not speaking out about conditions. 

This week, Nadal did speak out and his opinion may not have been a popular one among some of the more outspoken players.

Spaniard Guido Pella smashed a flat forehand at Nadal, saying: “Djokovic’s balcony is bigger than my room. But at least he said something.

“I’m surprised with Nadal and (Dominic) Thiem’s silence”.

While ignoring Pella, Nadal did have some thinly veiled words for ‘the Joker’, after Djokovic released his list of demands for relaxed restrictions for players quarantining in Melbourne who were unable to leave their rooms.

“We all try to help each other,” Nadal told ESPN. 

“Some need to make public all they do to try to help others, while some of us do it privately without publishing our calls or making propaganda with it.”

Nadal said he empathised with the plight of those players locked down in Melbourne, but he also said they shouldn’t be jealous of his circumstances, which not only includes a balcony, but also two hours of court time and five hours outside a day. He did note, however, that his room is much smaller than those of some Melbourne players. 

It is understandable, respectable. Where is the line of privileges? I have a different view,” Nadal said. 

“Here in Adelaide our conditions have been better than most of the conditions in Melbourne, but some Melbourne players have larger rooms where they can perform physical activities, others smaller rooms where they cannot have contact with their coach or physical trainer. Where is the line? 

“I have not heard any Melbourne players complain that they have a better room or about those who have been confined without being able to train. 

“I have not seen those who complain so much about our conditions in Adelaide say, ‘Why are there not equal conditions, now we will all go without training’.

“You always look up, always complain about a disadvantageous position.”

Those disadvantages have divided the players, with French player Jeremy Chardy telling L’Equipe: “Already they have a lot of privileges. If they can do everything more than you, it will not be the same preparation. And that’s weird for a sport where we’re all supposed to be on the same footing.” 

Any complaints have fallen on deaf ears, with tournament organisers standing their ground. 

Australian Open boss Craig Tiley made no apology for the conditions ‘enjoyed’ by Nadal and Djokovic in Adelaide.

With two weeks of lockdown now coming to an end, it will be interesting to see how adapts to playing conditions better. We will have some answers when Nadal plays Djokovic in what could be a fiery ATP Cup, beginning 1 February. 

The Australian Open begins on 8 February.

Irit Jackson, 27^th January 2021