BREAKING POINT

Worried Rafa’s plea for peace

RAFA NADAL has expressed his dismay at the “terrible things” happening in America and said he would not travel to the US Open in the current climate.

“Honestly, if you asked me if I want to travel today to New York to play a tennis tournament, I will say ‘no, I will not,’” he said.

Instead, the favourite tennis player of American president Donald Trump has called for calm following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week.

With the civil unrest coming against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, he questioned whether tennis should be considered with the US Open set to become the first Grand Slam of the year at the end of August.

The 34-year-old joined Roger Federer and other leading sporting figures in posting a black square on Twitter to mark “Blackout Tuesday” in support of minority rights.

“All the normal people and all the people who want a peaceful and good world, we are against racism, poverty, all the terrible stuff which is happening in this world more often than we would like,” said

Nadal.

“When you see all these disasters on the streets, these terrible things, my feeling is that is not the way to protest. That’s not a good example.

“The situation is critical but I believe strongly in people and I believe that we will be able to fix the problems.

“Everything takes time. All the improvements in our story, the human story, have taken time but we are getting there in all ways – for everybody to have the same opportunities, the same rights in terms of being protected.

“Of course it’s not enough. Of course we have to keep working hard to make this world a better place but the situation is what it is.

“Violence and pandemics like this today create a difficult climate, a difficult atmosphere for the world.

“It’s important to stay calm, to respect everyone, to live together in peace. I