Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates warned Rafael Nadal in February that the coronavirus would "get complicated", Toni Nadal said.
Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle and original coach, told Onda Cero's "El Transistor" program, Gates made the comments when Nadal was in South Africa to face Roger Feder for the Match in Africa charity exhibition.
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"My nephew, when he was playing in South Africa in February, spoke to Bill Gates and told him that what was happening in China was going to get complicated," Toni Nadal said in comments published by Marca.
The Microsoft co-founder addressed the issue the world was not ready for an impending pandemic back in 2015 during a TED Talks speech.
"If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades it's most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war," Gates warned in 2015.
"We're not ready for the next epidemic."
Toni Nadal says until a vaccine for COVID-19 is developed and distributed the situation will remain dangerous.
"Until there is a drug or a vaccine, I see the picture is quite complicated," Toni Nadal said. "We will live in a situation of uncertainty and danger until this is well managed."
Saving lives must be the top priority during the pandemic, says Toni Nadal, who urged politicians all over the world to empower experts to make decisions to best ensure health and safety for the public.
"The main thing is to save lives and there has been ignorance throughout the political apparatus of many countries," Toni Nadal said. "We should banish the fanaticism of the politicians; they are to defend society, not its ideals. Fanaticism is one of the great evils of this society.
"The big problem with politics is that they increasingly cover more ground and keep experts off that ground. You can be a good member of parliament but a bad administrator. I think politics should leave many things in the hands of experts."
Photo credit: Roger Federer Foundation