US Open without Novak Djokovic: Rafa Nadal isn’t going around it

The absence of the great rival is already being felt.

Rafa Nadal will be one of the big favorites at the U.S. Open, where, however, under no circumstances will he face one of his quintessential opponents: Novak Djokovic. And while he does not go into the merits of the Serb’s exclusion, his words are one of great regret.

“It’s been a long time that we already knew that Novak could not be here, if things didn’t change,” Nadal said in a press conference, recalling Djokovic’s absence. “My point of view is that the fact that Nole is not here makes me sad. The fact that, because of injury or any other reason, the best cannot play is sad. In this case, one of the greatest in history is missing, so the loss to the tournament is important. That said, the U.S. Open continues, the world keeps turning and it will do so regardless of him or me.”

Nadal then addressed his return to the US Open: “I’ve been missing since 2019, so I’m really excited to be here again. After an injury like mine, the pressure is high. You have to regain flexibility, and especially at the beginning it’s definitely not easy. Now I’m doing my best, I hope to do well.”