Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said Wednesday he was confident that Rafael Nadal will play in Melbourne despite testing positive for Covid-19, as fresh doubts emerged over Novak Djokovic.
Spanish star Nadal said on Monday that he tested positive after returning home from an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi and was experiencing “some unpleasant moments”.
While the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he was examining all his playing commitments, Tiley believes Nadal will be sufficiently recovered to chase his second Australian Open title in January.
“I’m confident Rafa will be here,” the tournament director told reporters in Melbourne.
“Players that are testing positive now will complete a period of time until they are no longer infectious and they’ll be fine.”