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Rafael Nadal's archetypal Grand Slam lucifer successful much than 7 months is connected the horizon, helium is coming backmost from a achy near ft occupation that constricted him to 1 tourney implicit the past fractional of past play and helium got COVID-19 successful December.
Plenty to speech about, right? This is, aft all, the proprietor of 20 large championships and 1 of the astir important figures successful the past of tennis. His specified beingness astatine an Australian Open pre-tournament quality league contiguous was newsworthy — or, rather, would person been connected beauteous overmuch immoderate different occasion.
Ah, yes, the run-up to this Australian Open has been, and seems destined to proceed to be, each astir Novak Djokovic and his hopes of defending the rubric astatine a vaccination-required contention portion not being vaccinated against the coronavirus. So Nadal's words and assemblage connection spoke for galore successful the satellite of tennis erstwhile helium shrugged his shoulders, exhaled and uttered this astir his long-time rival's will-he-play-or-won't-he saga: "Honestly, I'm a small spot bushed of the situation."
"The Australian Open is overmuch much important than immoderate player," Nadal said. "If he's playing, finally, OK. If he's not playing, the Australian Open volition beryllium a large Australian Open, with oregon without him. That's my constituent of view."
Unlike Djokovic, Nadal has gotten his shots. As person a full of 97 of the Top 100 successful the ATP rankings and 96 of the Top 100 successful the WTA rankings.
"All this could person been avoided, similar we've each done, by getting vaccinated, doing each the things we had to bash to travel present successful Australia," said two-time large champion Garbine Muguruza, a 28-year-old from Spain who is seeded No.3 successful the women's bracket. "Everybody knew precise intelligibly the rules. You conscionable person to travel them and that's it. I don't deliberation it's that difficult."
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For now, the No.1-seeded Djokovic is scheduled to play connected Monday connected time 1 of the year's archetypal large tournament, wherever some helium and Nadal could assertion a 21st Grand Slam trophy to interruption the men's people they presently stock with Roger Federer.
Before that, though, Djokovic — and, it seems, everyone other with immoderate involvement astatine each successful tennis oregon the latest developments related successful immoderate mode to the pandemic — volition hold to spot what happens successful a tribunal proceeding time connected his entreaty of a 2nd revocation of his visa by the Australian government.
He could beryllium deported.
"I won't lie: It has been beauteous overmuch connected each quality outlet the past mates of weeks. It has received a batch of attention. A batch of radical are evidently talking astir it," said Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 23-year-old from Greece who is seeded No.4 astatine Melbourne Park and was the runner-up to Djokovic astatine past year's French Open. "That's wherefore I'm present to speech astir tennis... not capable tennis has been talked astir successful the past mates of weeks, which is simply a shame."
Usually, the Australian Open — known arsenic the "Happy Slam" — serves arsenic a benignant of celebratory motorboat of a caller tennis season.
Players are coming disconnected a accidental to rest, recharge and hole during the offseason. They person a clean, oregon mostly clean, slate, depending connected whether they played immoderate tune-up matches. Some amusement up with wrinkles successful their playing style. Some get with a caller coach, anxious to spot however the narration mightiness enactment out.
"It feels similar it's taking distant from america competitors who conscionable privation to start. We're conscionable anxious to spell retired and compete. The Australian Open is ever an unthinkable event, my location Slam, my favourite tournament," said No. 32-seeded Alex de Minaur, a 22-year-old Australian. "At the extremity of the day, tennis is an idiosyncratic sport, and we've each been present successful Australia for a while, getting acceptable for this tournament. We each conscionable privation to get connected with our ain stuff."
Story lines and areas of intrigue thin to beryllium plentiful successful Melbourne. As it is, this clip was destined to beryllium a small different, fixed the noteworthy players who are absent for 1 crushed oregon another, including Federer, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
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But Nadal's instrumentality to Slam enactment for the archetypal clip since a semifinal nonaccomplishment to Djokovic successful Paris successful June is simply a large deal.
So, too, is defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka's accomplishment with what she says is simply a caller outlook aft taking 2 intelligence wellness breaks successful 2021, including 1 that ended her play successful September.
Given Osaka's frank revelations astir slump and anxiety, it was meaningful contiguous erstwhile she broke into a full-on grin. When she joked astir with reporters. When she appeared comfy arsenic tin be.
As did Nadal. He's said he's thrilled to beryllium backmost connected tour. Has been practicing well. He mentioned his "positive attitude" and "working spirit."
Only erstwhile the taxable was Djokovic did Nadal dependable little than excited.
"I privation him each the best. I truly respect him," Nadal said astir idiosyncratic he's played a tour-record 58 times dating to 2006, "even if I (do) not hold with a batch of things that helium did the past mates of weeks."
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