French Open champion Rafael Nadal returned to the practice courts on Monday by holding a training session behind closed doors, according to a leading news agency.
Agencia EFE has been informed that the 22-time Grand Slam champion trained at the Mallorca Country Club in Mallorca which will host an ATP 250 event next week. Nadal is currently not listed to play at the event which will feature the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Denis Shapovalov and Hubert Hurkacz.
The 36-year-old faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon which will begin on June 27th. After winning his 14th French Open title, Nadal revealed that he only managed to play in the tournament with the help of injections into his foot to control the pain. He suffers from Mueller-Weiss syndrome which is a rare degenerative condition that affects bones in the feet.
Stating that he is not prepared to play the next Grand Slam by having to receive further injections, the Spaniard has explored another route. Last week in Barcelona he received pulsed radiofrequency stimulation which is a minimally invasive procedure which involves adjusting the way in which the nerve tissue functions in order to reduce or stop pain in the affected area.
“Rafa is following the process after the radiofrequency application the other day, it is progressing well, we have to see how things go in the next few hours, how everything evolves to see the effects in 2-3 days. What we have done is partially inactivate those nerves that sensitively influence that area,” his doctor Ángel Ruiz-Cotorro told El Partidazo de COPE last week.
“There are several nerves that are punctured, a total of three: the superficial, the deep and the tibial.” He added.
Dr Ruiz-Cotorro, who is Nadal’s long-time doctor, confirmed that it is possible that he could receive further treatment this week depending on how his foot fairs. There is yet to be any official confirmation to say that this will be the case.
It is unknown as to when Nadal will make a final decision on playing at Wimbledon. He has won the major twice in his career in 2008 and 2010. He has also reached the semi-final stage on his two most recent appearances at the tournament.
