'That is not the way to protest' - Rafael Nadal on aftermath of George Floyd's death

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has spoken out on the widespread protests that George Floyd's death has prompted in the United States. While condemning the racist undertones of the incident, Nadal also said the protestors were going overboard by committing violence on the streets.

During his interaction with international media on Zoom, Rafael Nadal touched upon several topics - ranging from racism and the coronavirus pandemic to his training regimen and Slam preparations. Nadal feels there is no need to restart tennis tournaments until players from all countries can travel with 100% safety, while also elaborating on why he supports Roger Federer's idea of an ATP-WTA merger.

Violence and pandemics create a difficult climate: Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is against the idea of violent protests

The issue of racism has reared its ugly head again recently, and several celebrities - including Rafael Nadal himself - took part in the #BlackOutTuesday campaign earlier this week. When asked to give his thoughts about the unfortunate death of George Floyd, Nadal replied:

"All the normal people and all the people who want a peaceful and good world, we are against racism, poverty, all the terrible stuff which is happening more often than we would like."

However, Nadal is not a fan of the way that some people have responded to the incident. Many of the protests in the US have turned physical, with plenty of damage to property being recorded over the past week.

Giving his opinion on the protests, Nadal continued:

"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 further said that everything in the world needs time, which is why people should keep working hard to make the planet a better place to live.

Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer's ATP-WTA merger idea

Rafael Nadal supports the idea to merge ATP and WTA

A month ago, Roger Federer had pitched the idea of merging the two tennis associations - ATP and WTA - into one. Federer believes it is better to have one substantial body rather than two weak ones, especially during testing times like these.

Rafael Nadal had initially backed Federer's suggestion on social media, and today he expanded on the matter:

"I don't have any information about that. It's just an idea and just a message that Roger left there, and that's it. I support it because I think that working like a single organisation in the perfect world is easier for everything. But that doesn't mean that we need to play every single event as a combined event," Nadal stated.

The 12-time French Open champion also talked about his plans for the rescheduled Grand Slam events this year. Although the organizers have canceled Wimbledon, the US Open is set to take place as per the original schedule. However, the French Open has been postponed to late September, which means there's just a two-week gap between the hardcourt and claycourt Majors.

Rafael Nadal won both the titles last year, but now he is unsure if he will be able to defend - or even play - both events.

"I don't know and I can't answer this question," Nadal said. "I don't think it will happen. I do not imagine that there are two tournaments in the same week or one after the other with only two days of difference...If I have to decide, I will do it with my team. And we will make the decision that we think is the best for my tennis, my future, and my body."