"I have been open all my career, I never tried to hide nothing" - When Rafael Nadal shot back at doping accusations and threatened legal action
Rafael Nadal once shot back at doping accusations from former French Secretary of Sport Roselyne Bachelot. This wasn't the first time he faced such claims; former Grand Slam champion Yannick Noah and former Belgian pro Christophe Rochus did so in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
Nadal's knee injury affected his 2012 season, especially the lead-up tournaments to the US Open, keeping him off the court for seven months. Bachelot told the French TV show 'Le Grande 8' four years later that the Spaniard's absence was due to a positive drug test, not an injury.
"We know that Nadal's famous seven-month injury was without a doubt due to a positive [drug test]," Bachelot said. "When you see a tennis player who stops playing for long months, it is because he has tested positive and because they are covering it up. It is not something that always happens, but yes it happens more than you think."
Rafael Nadal had a conversation with the media where he addressed the Frenchwoman's allegations, stating he was fully aware of them. He defended himself by asserting that he was completely clean and had never tried to hide anything he had done.
"You know what? I heard [about the accusations] a few times again. I am a completely clean guy. I have never had the temptation of doing something wrong. When I get injury, I get injury. I never take nothing to be back quicker," the Spaniard said.
"I have been open all my career. I never tried to hide nothing that I did. I did PRP, and then I did stem cells," he added.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion's uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, later revealed on the RAC 1 radio show that his nephew was planning to take legal action against Bachelot.
"Rafael's lawyer is already working to potentially take legal action against [Bachelot]. In this world, instead of proving one's guilt, a person must prove their innocence," Toni said.
"I am no longer surprised by what people say, but comments like these from a former sports leader are incredible to me," he added.
Rafael Nadal on doping accusations: "I never did and never going to do something wrong"
During the aforementioned conversation with the media, Rafael Nadal discussed the knee treatments he underwent, specifically PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) and stem cells. He mentioned that his experience with PRP was negative, causing him to stop playing for seven months. However, he found stem cell treatment to be beneficial.
He also said that he never had and never would do something as wrong as doping.
"The first time with PRP, it worked fantastic, and the second time it was bad," he said. "I had to stop playing tennis for seven months. With stem cells, I used it two times on my knees and it worked very well. I am not doing, never did and never going to do something wrong."
The Spaniard added that he had faith in his doctor, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro:
"He has been the doctor for all the Spanish players for a number of years. I would never take nothing that he doesn't know about."