MUMBAI: Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal is reportedly in negotiations with the organizers of the The Erste Bank Open of Vienna to participate in the competition for a period of two years, according to tennisworldusa.org.
Nadal, who just lost his world No.1 ranking to long time rival and Swiss all time great Roger Federer after his quarter final loss in the just concluded Mutua Madrid Open, is said to have asked for a record appearance fee of $1.2 million for the same.
The Spaniard would take a call after playing the French Open, the report said.
The organizers are also negotiating with 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian is likely to decide on the same after the Wimbledon Championships in the summer. The tournament is looking to find more sponsors in order to sign deals successfully with the top players.
Korean star Hyeon Chung and Japan’s No.1 player Kei Nishikori have confirmed their appearances for 2018.
“We need some fresh money, and Asia is a big market,” Vienna Open’s tournament director, Herwig Straka said during a press conference at the Madrid Open.
‘If Nadal plays, we would definitely overcome the €4 million budget limit that we spend on players.’ Grigor Dimitrov, Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray could play as well.”
