My heart said no to U.S. Open defence, says Nadal

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VIDEO SHOWS: INTERVIEW WITH RAFAEL NADAL ON HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE US OPEN / B-ROLL OF NADAL PRACTISING AT VARIOUS EVENTS

LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - NOVEMBER 8, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS RAFAEL NADAL TYING HIS SHOE

2. NADAL PRACTICING AT ATP TOUR FINALS

MALLORCA, SPAIN (AUGUST 5, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION, RAFAEL NADAL, ON HIS DECISION TO MISS THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT, SAYING:

"Well everybody knows how much I love playing in New York. The energy that that court brings to me is just difficult to describe, but the circumstances today, speaking with my family, with my team, with people that I love around me, forced me to take that decision, because and my personal feeling at the same time. I am the defending champion there but my personal feeling, my heart says today it's not the moment to have this long travel without knowing exactly what can happen or what can't happen. So, my decision is to stay here, stay at home in Mallorca. That situation looks good, looks under control here and wait for future opportunities."

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 28, 2017) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

4. EXTERIOR OF ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 27, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

5. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM

MALLORCA, SPAIN (AUGUST 5, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION, RAFAEL NADAL, SAYING:

"I admire a lot all the work that they are putting together. The USTA, the ATP to come back to tour and I respect it a lot and we can say thanks from the players perspective that they are working that hard to make that happen because a lot of players need to come back to the competition. But in my personal case, I had to take a decision and hopefully it's the valid one, or not. I really don't care because no one knows exactly what can happen today. So, my personal feeling is all the decisions are valid or not valid. Everyone is taking the decision from the bottom of the heart and that's what I did."

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 23, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

7. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING

8. PERFORMER ON STILTS

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - SEPTEMBER 9, 2019) (USA TODAY - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY USA TODAY / ROBERT DEUTSCH) (MUTE)

9. STILL PHOTO SHOWING NADAL POSING WITH THE U.S. OPEN TROPHY AFTER BEATING DANIIL MEDVEDEV 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4

MALLORCA, SPAIN (AUGUST 5, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION, RAFAEL NADAL, ON IF THE U.S. OPEN WILL FEEL LIKE A GRAND SLAM TO THOSE PLAYING AS HE IS NOT THERE TO DEFEND HIS TITLE, SAYING:

"The tournament is still big, you know, it's a grand slam. I am not the kind of person that's saying, I 'm not arrogant enough to say the tournament is not big enough because I am not playing. I think there will be important players there, will be another important players without travelling there, so, of course, will be a tournament under special circumstances. But it's still a grand slam and the winner will feel it like a winner of a grand slam,"

MANACOR, MALLORCA, SPAIN (FILE - JULY 20, 2020) (RAFA NADAL ACADEMY BY MOVISTAR - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY "RAFAEL NADAL ACADEMY BY MOVISTAR")

11. NADAL DURING PRACTICE

MALLORCA, SPAIN (AUGUST 5, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION, RAFAEL NADAL, ON WHETHER HE WILL PLAY AT THE FRENCH OPEN, SAYING:

"I will be ready for, I will be preparing myself for the tournament (Roland Garros), for the clay in Europe, then when the moment arrives I want to take my personal decisions depending how the situation is, or how not, you know. Then when the moment arrives lets take a look about how the situation is around Europe, if everything is under control or not and then I'm going to make my personal decision."

MANACOR, MALLORCA, SPAIN (FILE - JULY 20, 2020) (RAFA NADAL ACADEMY BY MOVISTAR - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY "RAFAEL NADAL ACADEMY BY MOVISTAR")

13. NADAL DURING PRACTICE

MALLORCA, SPAIN (AUGUST 5, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION, RAFAEL NADAL, SAYING:

"No, I just believe that we need to be responsible because at the end of the day we are an example in some way for a lot of people, so, we need to be the right examples. Especially under these circumstances."

15. WHITE FLASH

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENDING U.S. OPEN CHAMPION, RAFAEL NADAL, ON THE ADRIA TOUR THAT SAW DJOKOVIC AND OTHER PLAYERS TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19, SAYING:

"Of course, have been a mistake there in the tour organised in Serbia and Croatia, but all that mistakes are normal when you face a situation that you didn't face before. So, is a situation unknown for everyone, so, the players need to make decisions. So, as I said, I take that decision, but I am not saying my decision is the valid one. I think every decision today can be valid or it can be wrong because we are facing, you know, unpredicted situations."

MANACOR, MALLORCA, SPAIN (FILE - JULY 20, 2020) (RAFA NADAL ACADEMY BY MOVISTAR - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY "RAFAEL NADAL ACADEMY BY MOVISTAR")

17. VARIOUS OF NADAL DURING PRACTICE

STORY: Rafael Nadal believes this year's U.S. Open champion will still feel like a Grand Slam winner despite the tournament losing some glamour due to the withdrawal of top players amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spaniard said on Wednesday (August 5).

The hardcourt Grand Slam, which starts on Aug. 31, lost its men's defending champion in singles with Nadal deciding against travelling to New York.

Women's world number one Ash Barty also pulled out last week, worried about significant risks due to COVID-19.

The United States has more than 4.79 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 157,000 have died. The U.S. Open organisers (USTA) are creating a bio-secure 'bubble' in New York to hold the tournament without spectators.

Nadal, a 19-times slam winner, said his heart felt like it was not the right time to travel to New York and feels there could be more withdrawals in the coming weeks but hoped the situation will evolve favourably for the tournament to be held.

The Spaniard said he was not the one to judge if the decision to hold the Grand Slam amid COVID-19 was correct.

With the professional circuit halted since early March, Novak Djokovic organised the Adria Tour exhibition event in the Balkans but it was abandoned after several players, including the top-ranked Serb tested positive for COVID-19.

Nadal hoped lessons have been learnt from the event, which was played in front of packed stands and lacked social distancing norms.

Following the U.S. Open, the Rome Masters is the only event currently listed on the ATP calendar before the French Open in Paris, where Nadal is also the defending champion.

(Production: Iain Axon and Stef Haskins)