Rafael Nadal
in the mid-section of the foot, throughout his life and career. The 21-time Major
champion was forced to miss the second half of the 2021 season with the problem
and it flared up once again in his Italian Open loss to Shapovalov on Thursday.
Speaking after the 1-6 7-5 6-2 defeat to the world No 16, the Spaniard shared the
moment he would decide to retire after struggling with the chronic injury.
“The moment will come when my mind will tell me ‘stop’ because pain prevents me
from being happy,” the 35-year-old confessed. “Not only for tennis, but for my
everyday life.”
“I am a player living with an injury — it is nothing new. It’s something that is there,”
Nadal told reporters after the match.
“Unfortunately, my day-by-day is difficult, honestly. Even like this, I am trying hard…
it can be frustrating that a lot of days I can’t practice the proper way.”
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In early May, Nadal told the media after his dramatic round-of-16 win against David
Goffin at the Madrid Open that he had a “chronic injury which has no treatment.”
He went on to say, “When I play, sometimes my foot pains me. If you see me every
single day, you wouldn’t be worried. I always have pain in my foot, especially after
playing a three-hour match or a long training. I end up walking a little bit badly.
“But I have a chronic injury which has no treatment. That’s part of my life, and that’s
the downside of not being able to finish the match earlier. In the short term, I think I
am fine, physically speaking, but also, speaking about my feet, it has to adapt to
competition.
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