Rafael Nadal reveals how he considered retirement after French open win due to status of foot injury
Rafael Nadal recently reflected on his chronic foot pain during Roland Garros and how it forced him to even consider retiring from tennis.
The Spaniard, who won his 14th French Open singles title in 2022, has been battling injuries for years now. The former World No. 1 has had his form drop many times due to relentless injuries and the resulting pain. Despite that, the Mallorca-born won two Grand Slam singles titles in 2022, including a five-hour marathon win over Daniil Medvedev to win his first Australian Open title in a decade.
Speaking to Marca, the Spanish legend explained how he traveled to Paris with a limp on his foot and, as a result, did not have enough preparation. He further revealed that his medical team "miraculously" relieved him of the tremendous pain that helped him win the title. He also touched upon his win over Novak Djokovic.
"The title in Paris was totally unexpected. A few weeks before I had left Rome with a limp and it was a miracle that the doctors found a way to numb the nerves in my foot. I arrived with a very poor preparation, but I had a lot of confidence in my tennis and the key day, in the quarterfinals against Djokovic, I played very well," the Spaniard said.
The World No. 2 also stated that he was very happy to win his 22nd Grand Slam singles title. However, his celebration was short-lived, as Nadal quickly thought about quitting due to persistent pain.
"I was very happy after winning Roland Garros, but at the same time, I thought I was going to have to retire from professional tennis because I couldn't continue with those chronic pains or playing undercover."
The 37-year-old further reflected on his injury during Wimbledon 2022. The King of Clay suffered an abdominal tear during his victory over Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
He eventually withdrew his name from the tournament before the semifinal clash against Nick Kyrgios. Nadal also revealed that he suffered another tear in his abdomen ahead of the US Open but hid it from the media.
"Since that abdominal tear, the year has been a disaster because I ruptured it again the week before the US Open. But I didn't say anything to anyone because I was tired of counting my sorrows," he added.
"The truth is that this has totally changed my personal life, not just my tennis career" - Rafael Nadal on his foot injury
The veteran went on to reflect on how the persistent injury has changed his tennis career and his attitude towards the game. Nadal added that his injury is incurable, meaning that the only way to manage it is to take injections regularly.
"As the injury is incurable, when the nerve hurts again I have to get more injections of this type. The truth is that this has totally changed my personal life, not just my tennis career. Before I was lame all day and could play tennis because I took a lot of anti-inflammatories."
"Most days I was sad, I had lost joy and vitality from playing tennis; that's why I thought I was going to have to retire," Nadal added.