Rafael Nadal appeared to be once again at the top of his game after producing yet another dominant display on the clay to win his 14th French Open title.
The world No.5 dropped just six games against Norway’s Casper Ruud to clinch victory in just over two hours. Watching him play he moved effortlessly around the court from engaging in baseline rallies to charging towards the net. Nadal came to the net on 22 occasions and won the point 17 times. It is easy to forget that the Spaniard is the fifth-oldest player in the ATP top 100 after turning 36 last Friday.
Although under the surface there is an issue that will likely be the deciding factor in how much longer he will continue playing. He could call it quits at the end of this season or keep going for a couple more years. Nadal suffers from Müller-Weiss syndrome which is a chronic foot condition where the navicular bone (located in the mid-foot region) undergoes spontaneous osteonecrosis in adults. This causes blood to be cut off from the navicular bone, subsequently causing pain and deformity in the mid-foot and hindfoot regions. He has dealt with this issue since being diagnosed back in 2005 but the older he gets, the harder it is.
“Without a doubt, I’d prefer to lose the final. My opinion does not change. A new foot would allow me to be happier in my daily life,” Nadal said just two days before lifting his latest French Open trophy.
At the time it seemed a bit curious as to why the former world No.1 made such a comment. However, he revealed on Sunday the true extent of why he had to go through in order to play in the latest Grand Slam. Nadal confirmed that he received injections into his right foot which deadened the nerves to an extent that he couldn’t actually feel it. He also took anti-inflammatory medication throughout.
“I’m gonna keep working and to try to find a solution and an improvement for what’s happening with the foot,” Nadal vows.
“It has been an amazing and very emotional two weeks.’
“I was able to play during these two weeks with extreme conditions. I have been playing with injections into the nerves to put my foot to sleep and that’s why I was able to play because I had no feelings in my foot. But at the same time, it’s a big risk in terms of less feelings, a little bit bigger risk of turning your ankle.”
When questioned as to how many injections he had Nadal declined to give a number but stated that he would not be prepared to go through the same scenario again at Wimbledon if he is able to play. Which raises the question of what he will do next?
“It’s obvious that I can’t keep competing with the foot asleep,” he continued. “We (my team) have been talking a lot about what’s going on and what the possibility is. Knowing that we are able to sleep the two nerves that create an impact on the foot improves that much, then we can try to make a treatment to try to create this feeling in a permanent condition.”
It is understood that the treatment is a procedure related to radio frequency in some format but it is unclear as to how it will work. Furthermore, medical staff will need to take into account the long-term effects of deadening a nerve for a substantial period of time.
Nadal concedes that there is no guarantee this treatment will work. Another option he speaks of is surgery but the risk appear to be even greater. There is no guarantee that an operation will be successful and he will be sidelined from the sport for a considerable amount of time. Far from ideal for any athlete in their 30s.
One example of Nadal’s ongoing battle with his foot was what happened earlier this year at the Italian Masters. After racing through the opener he ended up losing to Denis Shapovalov and looked to be in visible discomfort on the court. It is for this reason why at Roland Garros he was accompanied by his doctor who helped manage his condition.
“I didn’t expect him to have problems with the foot but it was in the back of my mind that something can happen and that I should not give up no matter what because whatever the score is, it might be that something can occur to him,’ Ruud commented during his press conference.
“But he looked sharp, he looked fine, and moving well. It’s impressive that he has been able to kind of forget about that foot and played very well here.”
Nadal appears to be reaching a crossroads in his career. It is clear that his mind says to continue playing but his body is less enthusiastic. This year’s French Open was the 22nd Grand Slam he has won and his 92nd Tour title overall. He has spent a total of 209 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings.
“My tennis career has been a priority during all my life but it has never been a priority over the happiness of my life. If I am still able to be happy playing tennis with the things that I have, I’m gonna keep going. If I am not able, I’m gonna do other stuff.” Nadal concludes.
As for Wimbledon, Nadal says it is a ‘priority’ event for him to play. However, like the rest of his career nothing is for certain and only time will tell.
