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Rafael Nadal wants player welfare to be assured before tennis can resume

Jun 05, 2020

Rafael Nadal has admitted he’s not ready to travel for a major tennis tournament, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Spaniard, who just turned 34 on Wednesday, says tennis should "wait a little bit more" and only return when it is safe for competitions to resume.

This, amid global health concerns over the practicality of staging the US and French Opens, which are still scheduled to take place in August and September respectively.

Nadal insists things must first come to a point when players will be able to compete without having to worry about the virus and the risk of bringing it home.

The US Tennis Association is due to make a decision later this month on whether the tournament will go ahead on August 31st. 

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Chelsea on verge of signing RB Leipzig's Timo Werner

Chelsea have taken the lead in the race to sign RB Leipzig star Timo Werner, and it’s understood they’ve already agreed a deal in principle.

The 24-year-old German previously said he’d prefer a move to Premier League leaders Liverpool but they were unwilling to pay his 49 million-pound release clause in the current climate.

Now, The Blues have swooped in, and the striker says he’s happy to play for a top club where he can play regularly.

Chelsea have offered Werner a 200 thousand pounds-a-week contract. 

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More substitues allowed in Premier League return

Premier League clubs will be able to make five substitutions rather than three in each match, as part of new rules approved for the season resumption on June 17th.

Teams can also name nine substitutes instead of the usual seven.

But although teams can now make five substitutions, each will only be able to make changes throughout the match three times, in order to minimise disruption to the game.