"They test him all the time, if it was against the rules he'd be caught" - Patrick McEnroe backs Rafael Nadal amidst doping rumors
Earlier this month, Rafael Nadal won a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title by winning the French Open. The Spaniard trounced Casper Ruud in straight sets in the final to lift his 14th Roland Garros trophy.
But Nadal's campaign wasn't without its struggles. The 36-year-old suffers from Muller-Weiss syndrome, a chronic condition that has caused him a lot of trouble throughout his career. The issue flared up again during the Italian Open this year, in his defeat to Denis Shapovalov.
After the Roland Garros final, Nadal said that he took injections everyday to help numb the foot and compete in the Major. Since that revelation, many fans have come up with theories that Nadal was doping.
Speaking on Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe, the 55-year-old former American professional addressed these conspiracy theories.
"So Nadal goes on to win," McEnroe said. "I don't know how he does it, he said he took some painkilling injections. I'm no doctor, I don't know exactly what they are. People, you know, there are conspiracy theorists now coming out in the tennis world. There's one conspiracy that Nadal is doping, he's taking some sort of drug."
McEnroe went on to assert that Nadal is tested all the time at Grand Slams, and that if whatever he was using was illegal, he would have been caught.
"Look, they test him all the time at the Majors and whatever they're putting in his ankle, I tink it's just a painkiller," he added. "Again, I'm not a doctor, I don't know exactly what it is, but if it was something that was against the rules he'd be caught."
"That's why I was able to play." 💬💉
In a Eurosport exclusive, Rafa Nadal has revealed that medical injections meant he played the French Open final with no feeling in his foot!
#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal
McEnroe also took a dig at the people who opined that Nadal was doping, suggesting that they believe the tennis establishment is against Novak Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal is on the Wimbledon entry list despite his injury concerns
Having won the first two Majors of the year, Rafael Nadal is theoretically on course to complete the Calendar Grand Slam. But it is yet to be seen whether he will take part in the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.
Nadal's name features on the tournament's entry list, and he had said earlier that he would compete if his body was ready.
Wimbledon men’s entry list https://t.co/Q0gsLOEBLm