Nadal wants ATP to do more for players’ health

SAO PAULO — Rafael Nadal criticized the ATP on Tuesday for not doing enough to protect players’ health, saying the increase in hardcourt events will lead to long-term injuries that will affect players long after they retire.

“The ATP worries too little about the players,” said Nadal, who was in Brazil to play his second tournament after a long layoff from a left-knee injury. “It should care more for them.”

The 11-time Grand Slam winner said he doesn’t expect major changes anytime soon, but thinks it’s time tennis officials start thinking about ways to help improve the players’ long-term health.

“For future generations it would be good to see a less aggressive tennis life,” he said.

“Not only because of what happens during your career, but also because of what happens after your career, about how is your body when your tennis career is over.”

Nadal said that because of the way tennis was played, he doesn’t see himself being able to be a recreational athlete after his professional career.

“After ending the career it would be nice to be able to play football with friends, or tennis,” he said. “But with this surface I don’t think it’s going to be possible.”

The 26-year-old Nadal said hardcourts were “too tough” on players’ bodies and made it impossible to keep them from getting hurt from time to time. Tennis is the only major sport where players have to play on cement, said the greatest claycourt player of the Open era, adding that it’s an issue that doctors must get involved with, not only players.

“This is not a subject for the players, it’s a matter for doctors,” he said.

“The ATP has to start thinking about ways to lengthen the players’ careers. I can’t imagine football players playing on cement, I can’t imagine any other sport involving aggressive movements such as tennis being played on such aggressive surfaces such as ours. We are the only sport in the world making this mistake and it won’t change.”