For almost a year, the tennis world has known that Rafael Nadal has a serious foot problem. On this Friday, June 3, he celebrates his 36th birthday. However, the Spaniard has just spent more than 8h30 on the court in his last two matches, overthrowing in quick succession a young 21-year-old talent, Félix Auger-Aliassime, then one of the physical (and tennis) references of the circuit, Novak Djokovic. In the semi-finals of Roland-Garros, against Alexander Zverev, he gave himself the right to dream of a new coronation. Against all odds.
It seems so far away. On May 13, Rafael Nadal lost a round of 16 in Rome against Denis Shapovalov (1-6, 7-5, 6-2), after suffering martyrdom. “In the middle of the second set, it became unbearable”, confided the Mallorcan about his chronic foot pain. More than three weeks later, he is still in contention in Paris, for his 37th Grand Slam semi-final.
107 victories at Roland-Garros.
300 in Grand Slams.Rafael Nadal still more in the legend. #Roland Garros
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2022
Survivor of a marathon round of 16 against Félix Auger-Aliassime, the Spaniard was monstrous against Novak Djokovic in the quarters. Forty-eight hours apart, he didn’t show anything, no sign of pain or annoyance.
“It’s hard to find the right superlatives about him.raves Paul Quétin, physical trainer of the French Tennis Federation. He always manages to come back. His recovery ability is impressive.” Even back to the wall, as against the Canadian, his relentlessness allows him to overthrow mountains.
“He has a generosity in effort, it’s extraordinary, extraordinary. In his story, he showed that in long matches, even when injured, without necessarily saying it, he was there. From the point of view of mental strength, capacity and physical endurance, it is a model over the last twenty years., outlines Paul Quétin. “I still have a lot of experience in this area.“, did not hide the interested party in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“He is rather well surrounded, I see him with the same ‘physio’ for years. This shows that he is in a logic of recovery, rather than development of his physical qualities.”
Paul Quétin, FFT physical trainerat franceinfo: sport
The physical trainer, who officiated in the French Davis Cup and Fed Cup team, details an anecdote which has value as a symbol of this meticulous management: “In the Chatrier warm-up room, there is a quadriceps machine, and it is almost Nadal’s. He’s always on it.” smiled Paul Quetin. Despite this, his body is tiring: chest pains ruined his final against Taylor Fritz in Indian Wells, and a crack in a rib in early March kept him out of court for a month.
The more the rounds pass, the more the ex-world number 1 casts doubt on his future. “After this tournament, I don’t know what will happen”, he hammered again on Tuesday evening. The Spaniard is seriously handicapped by Müller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative pathology which touches his left foot and makes his future uncertain.
“There are different stages of severityexplains Gilbert Versier, orthopedic surgeon at the Clinique Drouot in Paris. Obviously, this is not an advanced rank, otherwise he could not play at such a level. We also see that he makes his best performances on clay. This is understandable, because as he slides, there is much less stress on his foot.”
Incurable, this pathology could end his career. Even after an operation last September, his left foot remains painful. This did not prevent him from winning a record 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne at the end of January. “If we can’t find an improvement, it will be extremely hard for me”, recalled Nadal after his match against Djokovic. Last year, “Rafa” ended his season in August, missing the US Open. Will he keep up with a ten-month long season? Doubts persist.
The Spaniard has never been so close to winning his 22nd Major title. If he beats Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Friday, he will play his 14th final at Porte d’Auteuil. He never lost a single one.