Madrid (AFP)

The Spaniard Rafael Nadal, N.2 world, said Sunday "very pessimistic" about the chances of an early resumption of professional tennis in "normal" conditions, due to the pandemic of new coronavirus.

"I am very pessimistic about the possibility that the circuit could resume normal activity", recognized the winner of 19 Grand Slam tournaments, including 12 Roland-Garros, during a + chat + organized by the Spanish Tennis Federation ( RFET) with the Spanish team that won the Davis Cup last year.

"In tennis, you have to travel every week, stay at the hotel, go to different countries ... Even if the matches are played without an audience, the organization of a competition requires the participation of many people. , I see a serious problem, "added Nadal, who had already expressed his doubts in mid-April about holding a" big tournament "in" near or medium term ".

World tennis has been at a standstill since early March and at least until mid-July, after notably the postponement of Roland-Garros in the fall and the historic cancellation of Wimbledon.

Nadal has teamed up with his great rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to defend the creation of a fund to help players put in difficulty by the paralysis of world tennis.

But for the Spaniard, the priority remains the fight against the pandemic.

"We have lived a very hard month and a half, with many irreparable losses and others less significant, but which will cause great suffering in society economically, I hope that it will only last a few months", said Nadal, who last month launched with basketball player Pau Gasol an appeal to Spanish sportspeople to donate money to the Red Cross.

The Covid-19 killed 23,190 people in Spain, the country that paid the highest price for the disease behind the United States and Italy, but which is beginning to alleviate one of the strictest confinements in the world.

The Spanish will be again allowed to walk or play sports individually from next Saturday if the contagion continues to slow, announced Saturday evening Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

© 2020 AFP