Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has revealed the extraordinary health risks he undertook throughout his illustrious career, driven by a chronic foot injury.
The Spaniard, who retired in 2024 after winning 22 Grand Slam titles, shared these insights following a Netflix series, Rafa, which offered an in-depth look into his physical and mental struggles in pursuit of greatness.
“I’ve had to make decisions about my health, where you are on the borderline between right or wrong. But if I hadn’t explored all that, I probably would have had 10 fewer Grand Slams… this is the reality,” Nadal told the BBC.
Nadal was diagnosed with the rare Mueller-Weiss syndrome after breaking his foot during the 2005 Madrid Open final, just months after securing his first Grand Slam title at the French Open aged 19.
The condition, attributed to extensive training as a child under his uncle Toni, threatened his career, yet Nadal refused to surrender.
The injury continued to plague him even as he clinched 13 more Grand Slams over the subsequent nine years.
“Tennis became a race against time. Always having the doubt in my head of, how long can I last with this foot? I never knew how long my career would last,” he explained. “I always thought, maybe it’s the last year, so there’s no time to stop.”
His relentless dedication led to further health complications, including tendinitis in his left knee and intestinal perforations, the latter caused by painkiller use.
During the 2022 French Open final, his last Grand Slam victory, he relied on targeted anaesthetic injections, leaving his leg without feeling.
The 39-year-old concluded: “The key was the suffering was less than my passion and my happiness for what I was doing.”
Nadal’s openness on his physical issues comes at a time when the French Open, a tournament that he dominated, is moving towards its midway point.
Nadal won the French Open on no fewer than 14 occasions – an achievement that is unlikely to ever be matched.
This year’s men’s draw is wide open after Jannik Sinner suffered a shock defeat on Thursday, while Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament before it began due to a wrist injury.
