French Open is postponed until later in the year, a move approved by Spain’s Rafa Nadal

Spanish tennis star Rafa Nadal has given the nod to the new French Open date despite being close to the US Open.

The coronavirus outbreak has meant the Paris tournament, which usually starts in late-May, will now be held in September.

The controversial decision to reschedule the means it will be played just a week after the US Open finals while clashing with the Laver Cup, championed by Nadal and Roger Federer.

However,  the French Tennis Federation (FFT) President Bernard Giudicelli claims Rafael Nadal approves the decision to move the French Open to later in the year.

But not everyone is happy with the decision. Young Canadian, Vasek Pospisil, said it was “madness” that the ATP wasn’t consulted about the change.

He said in a Tweet that was later taken down, that “major announcement by Roland Garros changing the dates to one week after the US Open. No communication with the players or the ATP…. we have ZERO say in this sport,”.

Two-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka shared her disappointment on Twitter with the comment “Excusez moi???”.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the FFT president, Bernard Giudicelli, added: “We have made a difficult yet brave decision in this unprecedented situation, which has evolved greatly since last weekend. We are acting responsibly, and must work together in the fight to ensure everybody’s health and safety.”

It is feared the 2020 Wimbledon championships will also be rescheduled, causing a huge backlog in events.

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