In 2022, after the bad defeat against Denis Shapovalov to the round of 16 of the Masters 1000 in Rome, Rafael Nadal he had opened up about his foot problem, questioning his participation in the Roland Garros. A few weeks after his worrying declarations, however, the Spaniard won the Parisian Slam for the 14th time, increasing his incredible record.
Nadal underwent some harsh treatments which allowed him to somewhat anesthetize the nerve in his foot. In the press conference they reminded the Majorcan of that phase of his career, but the person concerned explained that now the situation is completely different and is not just linked to injuries.
Nadal: “Did I win in complicated conditions in 2022 too? The situation is different”
“I believe they are very different experiences due to a simple fact: in 2022 my foot was in very bad condition, I left Rome lame…
but my tennis level was very high. I had just won theAustralian Open, the Acapulco tournament and reached the final at Indian Wells. In this last case I also broke a rib. I was playing very well against great players.
Now things are not like that and the situation is different. At that moment I had to solve the foot problem. I managed to ‘put my foot to sleep’ by anesthetizing the nerves: this allowed me to play, even if at the end I was exhausted”, explained Nadal during the Media Day.
“Even if we’re not talking about an ideal situation, I was competitive. This time I spent the longest period of my life away from the courts. The situation is much more complicated and what’s more I’m not seeded.
The two situations cannot be compared. I’m training well now, but I haven’t really had time to build that concentration and those automatics. I’ve been playing with some limitations the past few weeks with hip and abdominal issues.
Mobility was limited and affected performance. Now I’ve been feeling different for about a week and I like competing when I’m so enthusiastic.”
