"I'd rip my skin off if I couldn't play a big one"

Mats Wilander poses during a broadcast.

/ EUROSPORT

Fabulous with the racket,

(Växjö, Sweden, 56 years old) reached the pinnacle of his sport and conquered seven Grand Slams, and today he receives praise for his ability to dissect tennis and transmit it microphone in hand, through the Eurosport channel .

Gently answer the questions from EL PAÍS, in the context of an implantable scenario a few months ago and that has silenced the noisy landscape of Flushing Meadows at this time.

Question.

If you were a gamer today, would you have traveled to New York?

Reply.

Yes, I definitely would have played the tournament.

Although I enjoyed training, if I became a top-level player it was because I especially enjoyed the games.

It would tear my skin if I were now a player and could not play a tournament like this, but you have to respect everyone's decision.

It is too early to throw stones at those who have decided not to travel.

P.

Psychologically, how can this new reality affect tennis players?

R.

I think that coming back in this way is an advantage for them because after a five-month break, coming back in a completely normal way, with people in the stands, would have been a

for the system.

This situation gives them some time to regain inspiration and intensity in the game, and they can walk around the complex and train whenever they want.

Actually, I think it has been a blessing for them.

I understand that Nadal did not travel to New York.

It could hurt him in the face of Paris

Q.

But what about the protocol and restrictions?

A.

I think they are so used to doping tests and all that stuff that I don't think anything related to the

going to impact them negatively.

Perhaps some may be scared or worried, so they are likely exposing themselves to a level of anxiety that they have not experienced before.

Q.

And strategically, during matches, to what extent can the absence of fans influence?

R.

I think the most competitive, those who really love to compete and don't want to lose even in training, will be the ones who will be there.

That is going to make a difference.

Q.

So, for example, a certain Djokovic.

A.

In his case, I think Novak is not affected by the public as much at the beginning or at the end of a game as in the middle of the game.

To me, and I say it from my personal experience, I did not care what happened in the stands at the beginning or at the end, but in between I tried to put the fans on my side, whether it was winning or losing.

That may be Novak's biggest threat, not being able to use the crowd in those situations where he's kicking the other guy's butt.

P.

In perspective, who benefits or hurts the most from the stoppage?

A.

I think it helps veterans, especially those in their 30s or 31s.

Somehow, this has been able to make them think and perhaps they say to themselves: 'I love this, I want to move on, to the next level because of everything that has happened.

On the contrary, for young people it is a pause in the middle of their development and they can get tired of this: 'What the hell am I doing?

I work so hard and now they lock me up… '.

A great is a great, do not detract from this year's winners

P.

It is said that this great is devalued because Federer and Nadal are not there.

Do you agree?

A.

For me, there is no difference.

It is a great one, and those who can play are playing it, that's how it has always been.

Some years it happens that some players cannot compete, for whatever reason, and I don't see why that should detract from the winners of this edition.

Q.

Can these circumstances be the beginning of a new era?

R.

I hope so!

I hope we see new players breaking through.

In the last rounds there will be strange clashes, which we have not seen before, and that can be very interesting for tennis.

Certainly, it is useful that Rafa or Roger are not there if you are interested in witnessing a new stage.

Q.

Do you understand Nadal's resignation?

A.

Yes, because it would surely hurt your chances of winning later at Roland Garros.

I think he could win both, but he has a reason.

There must be a

, you must want to go above everything, more than being physically prepared or not.

If you don't want to go, then you are not going to win the tournament in any way.

Q.

In the event that Djokovic wins, will Nadal have an extra pressure in Paris?

R.

If Novak arrived in Paris with 18 titles [the Spanish has 19 and the Swiss 20] it would be interesting, but I think that by giving up New York, Rafa is sending us a message.

He's telling us, 'uh, that's not my ambition, my goal.

I'm not trying to be the best in the history books, I'm trying to be the best today, now, that's why I don't travel there. '

P.

Serena, meanwhile, goes for everything.

A.

If she doesn't win this time, I'll start to worry that in her own mind she doesn't think she has a chance to win elsewhere.

It would be a blow.

You have to win this trophy because there are so many top-tier players missing, and that can make you feel like, 'buff buff buff!

I have to do it'.

If you don't win it, the next one will be even harder and the next one even harder;

if she wins, she could regain her confidence and maybe go for a couple more.

Serena must win, but the girls hit her just as hard and they are no longer scared

P.

The environmental factor penalized you the last two years.

Can silence help you?

R.

The fact that there is no public can benefit you, because what happened to you was not positive.

Having the fans so high was not a good thing for her, so this may be the ideal moment.

For the first time, you have the opportunity to take your stroller and your child around the facilities.

If it is the favorite?

I don't know ... not necessarily.

Now there are many young women who hit the ball as hard as she and who are no longer scared.

I see the feminine picture very open.

P.

Who has shone again, after 20 months of absence in a great and in a big way, is Andy Murray.

One of its weaknesses.

R.

It is not the ideal situation for anyone, because it is horrible, but in Andy's case, competing against players who have not played for so long, without confidence, can lead him to say: ok, you haven't played in half a year and I neither, but I'm used to it.

He can take advantage of it and he did so against Nishioka.

He seems to be one hundred percent healthy, so I see him ready to compete again.

MORE THAN 300 HOURS LIVE

One more year, the Eurosport channel will broadcast one of the most important tennis events of the year and for this it has a team of experts, including Wilander.

He and other illustrious voices will comment on a tournament that Eurosport broadcasts exclusively, with more than 300 hours of live tennis and the signal of all the courts available.