"I'm a little tired of the situation as I believe it's important to talk about our sport" - Rafael Nadal on Novak Djokovic's never-ending visa saga

Rafael Nadal was asked to give his opinion on Novak Djokovic's visa controversy while speaking to the press ahead of this year's Australian Open. The Spaniard said he was a "little bit tired of the situation," stressing that tennis and the pandemic had taken a back seat amid the Serb's visa fiasco.

Novak Djokovic's visa was canceled for a second time by the Australian government on Friday. Djokovic's lawyers have challenged the ruling, but the Serb could be handed a three-year ban from entering the country if the verdict doesn't come out in his favor.

Djokovic's visa saga has dominated the headlines in the lead-up to the Australian Open and Nadal feels the situation has gone "too far." The Spaniard reckons the focus should return to tennis and the impact of the pandemic.

"I think the situation have been too far. Honestly, I'm a little bit tired of the situation because I just believe that it's important to talk about our sport, about tennis," Nadal said. "We went through and are going through very challenging times, without a doubt, with this pandemic. I mean, I know tennis is zero important compared to what we are facing now, this virus, no?"

The Spaniard then empathized with his peers, who struggled for motivation amid the COVID-19 crisis. With prize pools slashed, matches played without crowds and tournaments enforcing strict regulations, many players did not enjoy their time on the tour.

"During two years we went through some challenging moments, no? Because a lot of players haven't been able to survive through the pandemic because the prize money went down," Nadal said.

"We have been traveling with not many people next to us, without the full team, without the family a lot of people, and a lot of people from countries outside of the Europe or America, North America, when the tournaments are the most - have been going through very challenging times."

I felt very sick when I had COVID, but now I'm happy: Rafael Nadal

During the press conference, Nadal was also asked to shed light on his personal battle with COVID-19. The Spaniard contracted the virus shortly after competing at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi in December.

Nadal revealed that he had been "very sick" and took several days to fully recover. However, he insisted that the worst is well and truly behind him and that his focus is now on his tennis.

"I had been very sick during the COVID, took days to recover honestly. Feelings were not good during that seven days, especially the first four days. But after that day by day I felt a little bit better, no? I don't know if I have any negative feeling after COVID because I have been outside of the tour for such a long time," the Spaniard said.

"In general terms, I feel happy. If you tell me that I'm going to be in my position today one month ago, of course I will sign without a doubt. Just enjoying the practices and being a professional tennis player again. I'm playing some good tennis," he added.

---

Also check out: Updated ATP Men's Tennis Rankings