Nadal calls for fewer hard-court tournaments

Originally published on: 13/02/13 00:00

Nadal, returning to action after seven months on the sidelines with a knee injury, made his comeback on the clay at the VTR Open in Chile last week.

Speaking in Sao Paolo, where he is playing at the Brasil Open, the second of three clay-court events he will play in South America, Nadal claimed the ATP has a responsibility to reduce the amount of tournaments played on hard courts.

"Hard courts are aggressive on the knees, back and ankles," Nadal said. "That is a theme among the players and doctors.

“To make a change like that it won't be possible in this generation but I think that the ATP has to work to think of how to lengthen tennis players' careers.

"Can you imagine football players playing on cement?"

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By Tim Farthing

About the Author / Tim Farthing

Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.