Rafa “not the right one” for ATP council
Originally published on: 28/03/12 11:53
Rafael Nadal yesterday shrugged off suggestions that his resignation from the ATP Player Council was borne out of frustration. The world No.2 has held the vice-president position since 2008 but in recent times has appeared disappointed with the lack of council support for his proposals.
“Today I feel that another player can do better than me, because I spend probably three, four years. We did things, but not enough. That’s my feeling,” he said after beating Kei Nishikori in straight sets in Miami.
It’s not the first time that Nadal has voiced his desire for change in the system. Whilst keeping most of his grievances under wraps as far as the media goes, he has repeatedly commented on the demanding nature of the tour and its schedule.
A particular sticking point between he and other members of the council, including council president Roger Federer, was the Spaniard’s push for a two-year ranking system that would put less pressure on players to participate in every tournament. It’s a particularly salient point for Nadal, who, despite making great efforts to scale back on his scheduling, has admitted to another injury niggle in his left knee in Miami this week. Federer, meanwhile, has appeared disinterested in calls for a significant change to the schedule.
The issue came to a head at the Australian Open, with Nadal implying in a Spanish-language interview that the Swiss failed to support the wishes of other players, preferring to behave like a gentleman and refrain from criticising the system. The Spaniard denied that he resigned from the council out of frustration, repeatedly saying: “No, no, I am not frustrated.”
“I really don’t know how to do things without putting my 100% [into them]. So if I go to play golf, I try my best in every moment. If I go to the player council, you know, I try my best in the player council. I put all my energy there.”
“Finally I believe I put too much energy there,” he said. “So today I believe that I am not the right one to keep working there. So I think another people can do better than me today. I believe that we did few things well for the sport. I believe it’s not enough.”
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