Melbourne (AFP)
Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka said on Sunday that she remained determined to compete in the Tokyo Olympics in her archipelago, as did Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, despite growing opposition from local public opinion due to the pandemic of Covid-19.
Osaka, winner of three Grand Slam tournaments, said it was ready to "stay in the room (s) for two weeks to play the Olympics", the opening ceremony of which is scheduled for July 23, during a press conference in Melbourne on Sunday, a week before the start of the Australian Open.
While conceding his concern after a recent poll which revealed that 80% of the Japanese public were opposed to Tokyo hosting the Olympic meeting, already postponed for a year.
"My concern is general safety once the country opens up," said the 23-year-old Japanese player living in Florida.
"Everyone arrives by plane from different places. I just want the public to feel safe," she insisted, while a large part of Japan, relatively spared since the start of the pandemic (less than 6,000 dead), is currently in a state of emergency to cope with an upsurge in coronavirus cases, with borders being closed to almost all foreigners.
“I missed the last Games. Playing in Tokyo would be very special for me,” Osaka said.
The world No.2 Rafael Nadal echoed the feelings of the Japanese and repeated his wish to compete in the Olympics, while relying on the advice of health experts.
"What we have to do is follow the instructions given by the people who really know about all of these things," he told reporters on Sunday.
But, according to the Spaniard, a compulsory quarantine before the Olympics would be difficult to reconcile with his program: "It seems difficult to integrate into our calendar."
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games, reiterated his "personal intention to go to the Olympics".
"I really hope they will take place," said the Serbian.
© 2021 AFP