Nadal said in his post-match interview on court that he was “not a gym guy” but is a lover of different sports to stay in shape.
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Rafael Nadal admits he had to cut down on eating chocolate in order to be fit and healthy for the Australian Open. Nadal only recently returned to court from an ongoing foot problem that saw him miss the US Open, the Tokyo Olympics and the ATP world tour finals. The Spaniard progressed to the third round of this year’s Australian Open after beating Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets, but his tour comeback has come at a cost.
It’s not unreal… It’s @RafaelNadal‼️VAMOS‼️ pic.twitter.com/7vIaeVwiHO
— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) January 19, 2022
The 35-year-old says he has had to cut out one of his favourite treats: chocolate.
“The chocolate for the last couple of months was over,” he told Eurosport reporters.
“I changed a couple of things in my diet. After all the things I went through with my foot I just tried to lose some weight and to work the proper way to be ready for the season.
“Matches help and I need it. Today was a tough one. He [Hanfmann] was playing well and that’s a positive thing for me. I hope to be ready for the next one.
“Today was a victory. After today I’m going to have a tough match so I need to play better than today.”
Nadal said in his post-match interview on court that he was “not a gym guy” but is a lover of different sports to stay in shape.
He explains that he has been able to play a lot of golf to keep himself occupied while dealing with his foot problem.
“I love the competition in general,” he added. “I have always been a multi-sport guy. I like to practise different sports. Unfortunately the last few years I have not been able to play football anymore, even different kinds of sports.
“Golf helps because it’s not crazy, not dangerous, spend time with the people I like and in some ways I feel I am competing when I am not able to play on the tour.”
