Tennis star Rafael Nadal has spoken out against racism in the face of violent protests in the US over George Floyd’s killing, but said that it is “not the way to protest”.
Nadal stressed that while people who want a good and peaceful world are against racism, poverty and the “terrible stuff” happening around the globe, he didn’t think that using violence is not the way to register protest.
“When you see all these disasters on the streets, my feeling is: ‘That is not the way to protest.’ That’s not a good example. The situation is critical but I really believe strongly in people and I really believe we will be able to fix the problems,” the Spaniard said.
“Everything takes time. All the improvements in our story, the human story, have taken time but we are getting there in all ways. To be for everybody the same, for everybody to have the same opportunities, the same rights in terms of being protected. We have to keep working hard to make this world a better place,” he added.
Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed in Minneapolis after a white officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for several minutes as he gasped for breath. The United States has witnessed widespread violence and unrest over the continued systemic oppression against Black people in the country.
Nadal also said amid the present circumstances, including the rising cases of COVID-19, tennis should not resume unless players can travel safely.
“If you asked me today if I want to travel to New York to play, I will say: ‘No, I will not.’ In a couple of months I don’t know how the situation will improve,” he said.
The tennis associations is expected to take a decision on June 15 on the fate of the US Open.
Nadal added that even if it’s not safe for players to travel from around the world for tournaments, he probably would play but it would not be “100 per cent correct”.
“We need to be responsible, we need to be sending strong messages and we need to be a positive example for society. We need to understand we are suffering an unprecedented situation and my feeling is that we need to come back when all the players from all the countries of the world are able to travel under safe circumstances.”
