When the 2020 men’s tennis season ended at the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal captured a common sentiment that still holds true as the 2021 tennis season is set to begin this week.
“The world is suffering a lot, so we are very lucky that we can play tennis,” Nadal said in London in November. “That’s the real feeling that I have.”
After an off-and-on, pandemic-altered year for the sport, coronavirus questions and an ever-evolving calendar still will be key parts of the conversation as things get going with main-draw action Wednesday at the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open, where Sofia Kenin leads the field, and Thursday at the ATP’s Delray Beach Open, where last year’s champion, Reilly Opelka, withdrew, citing an injured knee.
Opelka joined several players — a group that includes Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic — in pulling out of the hard-court tournament held last February and pushed to early January this time as part of a shuffling on both…