Is Rafael Nadal playing in Saudi Arabia?
Organizer Peter-Michael Reichel hopes to see Rafael Nadal compete in the three-day show tournament in Saudi Arabia.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
Nov 26, 2019, 07:33 am
It's not that long ago that Rafael Nadal actually wanted to set off to swing his bat in Saudi Arabia for a small fee. In December 2018, the Spaniard and Novak Djokovic were actually booked for a show fight, a breach of the Spaniard burst the event. Given the political turmoil surrounding the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a decision that neither Nadal nor Djokovic should have had a hard time.
Barely a year later, the name Nadal is back in the room when it comes to a show fight in Saudi Arabia. Organizer Peter-Michael Reichel has booked with Daniil Medvedev, Fabio Fognini and Stan Wawrinka already three prominent professionals for a tournament from 12 to 14 December, the Big Three he has failed for this year, however initially.
Federer too busy
"We talked to Roger Federer, but he has too much to do with his South American tour this year," says Reichel. "We had good talks with Novak Djokovic two months ago, but now he has decided to take some time off and play tennis again by the end of December."
However, it was still the turn of Rafael Nadal, said Reichel - but before the Davis Cup final tournament in Madrid, which played the Spanish matador to the end. "That depends on his physical condition. We had very good conversations with him, and he wants to come - if not this year, then the next. "