Still absent from the courts since his injury at the Brisbane tournament in Australia, Rafael Nadal has announced that he is postponing his return while maintaining the objective of being ready for Roland-Garros (May 20 - June 9).
Present in the show El Objetivo on the Spanish channel Sexta, he returned to his position as ambassador to Saudi Arabia before being questioned about parity in tennis.
“I think that there must be the same investments and the same opportunities [between men and women]”, estimates the former world number 1 who now occupies 646th rank in the ATP.
But when he was asked about the salary gap between male and female players, he said he was opposed to equality in this area: “No, for what?
", he asks.
Also read “I am in unknown territory”: from Melbourne to Brisbane, a year of hell for Rafael Nadal
The record holder for victories on the clay court of Porte d'Auteuil (14 titles), then made a statement which did not fail to provoke a reaction from the Spanish media.
After believing that feminism could be taken to the “extreme”, the Majorcan defended himself from any attack by declaring: “I have a sister and a mother”.
A clumsy defense to say the least.
The sport, the feminismo, and @RafaelNadal:
“The inversion?
The misma.
¿Opportunities?
Las mismas.
¿Sueldos, los mismos?
No”.#ObjetivoNadal pic.twitter.com/WUVpEykRQt
— El Objetivo (@ObjetivoLaSexta) February 14, 2024
In response, the daily El Pais published an editorial in which the journalist wrote: “This moment is magnificent when [Nadal] says he has a sister and a mother.
Hopefully a gay friend, a black neighbor and we would have the gentleman's all-inclusive package not yet deconstructed.
» However, the Spaniard recognized that Saudi Arabia, the country for which he is ambassador, is a “country that is very behind in many areas”.
In the middle of a controversy, Rafael Nadal nevertheless made an appointment at the Indian Wells tournament in March before perhaps returning to Roland-Garros.