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An interaction with a reporter exposed the toll a 21-year career has taken on Rafael Nadal’s body as the Spanish tennis star said he endures “every day” pain.
After his round 16 win over David Goffin – which was decided by a massive tiebreak in the third set – Nadal stumbled into his post-match press conference, prompting a journalist to ask him about his apparent discomfort.
“No, don’t worry,” replied the 21-time Grand Slam champion. “When I play, sometimes my foot hurts. If you see me every day, you wouldn’t worry. I always have pain in my foot, especially after playing a three-hour game or a long training session. I end up walking a little badly.
“But I have a chronic injury for which there is no treatment. That’s part of my life, and that’s the downside of not being able to finish the game sooner. In the short term I think I’m fine physically, but also speaking of my feet, it has to adapt to the competition. It has to adapt to the stress that matches like today have on me.
“In the short therm, as I said, it’s fine, but I’m also conscious for tomorrow. It’s a bit more complicated because tomorrow I may wake up with more problems and we have to accept it and face it.”
Nadal has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has only just returned from a rib injury sustained at Indian Wells in March, which at one point looked like it could threaten his entry into the upcoming French Open.
Only last year, Nadal suffered a back injury at the start of the season and was then forced to miss the second half of 2021 with a foot injury. That time-out meant that he was unable to compete in Wimbledon and the Olympics.
All those ailments made it all the more impressive that he won his record-breaking 21st grand slam at the Australian Open in early 2022 on his way to a personal best with a 20-0 season start.