that was in the early morning Spain, But the news also elicited strong reactions.while speaking Craig Tiley, director australian openThe Grand Slam that kicks off the Grand Slam every season, one sentence from his mouth ignited the passion of many tennis fans: “Rafael Nadal He has confirmed to me that he will be back next year.
In fact, Ocean Championship directors are setting a return date for Rafael Nadal, who has been having a rough time lately. The athlete himself was recently seen training very intensely, so the pieces of the puzzle seemed to come together, but it turns out that all that glitters is not gold.
The latest news is that Tilly hasn’t actually spoken directly to Rafael Nadal.He did this with the people around him, who always showed some caution towards him in this regard, although Manacor There is no doubt he would love to stay in Australia. However, he was not entirely aware of this, so he shared his last message on social networks.
Nadal against McDonald.
So it seems the Grand Slam director jumped into the pool too soon, most likely without even having water. This isn’t the first time he’s done this with one of the tennis greats and then had to go back on his words.
Over the past few years, Craig Tiley has predicted characters that will appear in his tournaments, such as Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Andy Murray.He even said that all of them would attend Australia In different years, that never materialized, so it remains to be seen for Rafa Nadal whether he will get his fourth consecutive blunder against a great tennis star.
Serena, Federer and Murray
Director’s History australian open it goes without saying. Looking back at previous years, we can often see Tilly rushing time and time again to “sell” the best posters of his tournaments through the presence of tennis’s greatest stars.
In 2017, that’s what happened to the sport’s best tennis player in recent years.Count on serena williams It’s an absolute privilege for any event and the Australian Open dreamed of hosting it in 2018, so a few months ago the organization almost took its participation for granted.
(Djokovic’s Australian Open feat: winning the championship with a 3cm muscle tear)
Serena Williams became a mother a few months ago, and although she’s gradually returning to physical activity, she’s no longer close to Australia. In the end, she herself ruled out the possibility of participating in this Grand Slam because she felt that she was not strong enough: “Although I am very close, personally I am not yet where I want to be,” the the American commented, confirming her absence.
This rejection is a heavy blow to the championship, but Andy Murray and roger federer In 2021, Craig Tiley jumped into the pool again, ensuring the presence of two talents in that edition, but the final draw didn’t include either of them, both of whom were decimated by injuries.
“Roger Federer has confirmed to us that he will participate in the Australian Open,” the tournament boss commented in an interview. The organizer passionately wanted to emphasize that the Swiss would bring joy to the public in 2021, but he soon had to correct himself because Federer would not finally set foot in the maritime country.
Federer in Melbourne.
Despite the talk of being unwell, the reality is that the Covid-19 pandemic had a lot to do with this decision. The rules, which force his wife and children, with whom he usually attends big tournaments, to be locked in a hotel room, do not excite the tennis player. The fact that he was traveling alone for so many weeks didn’t matter, so in the end Federer didn’t play that Australian Open.
Just like Andy Murray. The organization specifically invited him to take part in that edition of the game, with Tilley confirming his presence: “We welcome Andy Murray to Melbourne with open arms,” he commented publicly.
Andy Murray plays at 3am.
However, weeks later it was revealed that the Scot would not be playing in the Grand Slam tournament either. He tested positive for Covid-19 a few days ago and was “shocked” that a solution could not be found to enable him to compete, which he planned to do in Australia.
Rafael Nadal, the other
In interviews with the media, Craig Tiley often confirms the involvement of the great tennis players in the sport’s recent history. As if deja vu, the Australian Open coach has done it again this year with an iconic figure, this time Rafael Nadal.
“I’m going to give you the scoop. Rafa is coming back to Melbourne. He’s been away from the track for a long time and I’ve been talking to him in the last few days. He confirmed he’ll be back next year and that’s something that makes us all Excited. This is incredibly good news,” he said in a television interview.
All of these words sound like stories from the past, the same ones starring Serena, Federer or Murray, and although these words initially caused a huge stir, the truth is that over time, the balloon has deflated. . The latest news is that Tilley has actually spoken to the player’s entourage, but even so, doubts remain high.
Rafael Nadal himself left a message on his social networks that contained a certain mystery. In the article, although he confirmed that he was training hard and hoped to return as soon as possible, he did not confirm 100% that he was in Australia: “I thank the Australian Open for the vote of confidence… I train every day, train hard, and “return as soon as possible”, he explain.
The Australian Open ticket sales period recently opened and confirmation of Rafael Nadal’s arrival will certainly give the event a boost, but time will tell whether Craig Tiley has had to swallow his own words on numerous occasions in recent years. .