Rafa Nadal has said he is very pessimistic about the possibility of tennis returning to normal any time soon because of the new coronavirus pandemic that shut down the sport last month.

Professional tennis has been suspended until the end of July, at the earliest, and the Spaniard said on Sunday that serious problems stand in the way of a resumption.

“From my point of view, I’m very pessimistic that the circuit can resume normal activity,” the world number two said in an online chat organised by the Spanish Tennis Federation.

“In tennis, you need to travel every week, stay in hotels, go to different countries.

“Even if we play without an audience, to organise any event you need a lot of people involved, which cannot be ignored. At an international level I see a serious problem.”

The coronavirus outbreak has decimated the world sports calendar, forcing the postponement of the Olympic Games, which includes tennis, and the cancellation of Wimbledon.

French Open organisers have rescheduled that event for the end of September, shortly after the U.S. Open, although Nadal said public health took priority over tennis tournaments.

“We have already said many times we are in a very difficult moment, for everyone,” Nadal added.