22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal could miss Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal had multiple injections during the tournament to keep him going as he won his 14th title at Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal after beating Novak Djokovic in Paris. (Image: Twitter/ATP Tour)
By Niranjan Shivalkar | Jun 6, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The Spanish Tennis star Rafael Nadal who recently won The French Open on Sunday after he defeated the Norwegian Casper Rudd. Nadal thrashed Rudd 6-3 6-3 6-0 in the final. The 36 year old had multiple injections during the tournament as he won his 14th title at Roland Garros. Nadal had been playing with injections on the nerves to numb the foot. The tennis star suffers from a bone condition that affects the bone of the feet.

Playing at 36

Nadal, who is struggling with his body, is surprised that he is able to do what he does on the court at that age. He also missed two months of the season due to a stress fracture in his rib, which occurred shortly after his 21st major victory at the Australian Open. “My preparation was not ideal. Everybody knows how much this tournament means to me, so I wanted to keep trying. I never believed I would be here at 36, playing in the most important court of my career one more time in a final.”

Wimbledon is not sure

“I’m going to be in Wimbledon if my body is ready to be in Wimbledon. That’s it. Wimbledon is not a tournament that I want to miss. I think nobody wants to miss Wimbledon. I love Wimbledon. If I am able to play with anti-inflammatories, yes; to play with anesthetic injections, no. I don’t want to put myself in that position again.” Nadal said he would soon have radiofrequency ablation which uses heat on the nerve to quell long-term pain, but would have to consider surgery if that treatment did not provide a sufficient solution.

“If that works, I am going to keep going. If that doesn’t work, then it is going to be another story. Then I will have to ask myself if I am ready to do a major surgery that doesn’t guarantee me to be able to be competitive again and could take a long time to be back.” expressed Nadal.

Read more: Serena Williams not included on the official entry list of Wimbledon 2022

‘In my time, anything over 30 was bonus’

Former British number one Greg Rusedski was in praise of the Grand Slam victor in the final on Sunday saying what he is doing was beyond human. “To start the year by winning the Australian Open and French Open, it is astonishing. “In my generation, anything over 30 was bonus time and if you won a Slam over 30 it was a heck of an accomplishment. Now it seems the norm because of Nadal, [Roger] Federer and [Novak] Djokovic.” opined Rusedski.





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