Tennis icon Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, revealed that much of his celebrated career was spent battling constant pain caused by a long-term foot injury. The Spanish star, who retired in 2024, admitted he was very hard on himself as he pushed his body to extreme limits and made major sacrifices with his health in order to continue competing at the highest level. He opened up about both physical and mental health in the Netflix documentary series “Rafa”, which offers a closer look at the price he paid in his pursuit of greatness.
“I’ve had to make decisions about my health, where you are on the borderline between right or wrong. But if I hadn’t explored all that, I probably would have had 10 fewer Grand Slams… this is the reality,” Nadal told the BBC in an interview published on Friday.
Rafael Nadal on rare foot disorder
Rafael Nadal was diagnosed with the rare foot disorder Mueller-Weiss syndrome after suffering a fracture during the 2005 Madrid Open final – just months after the Spaniard stunned the tennis world by winning the French Open on debut at only 19 years old nd securing his maiden Grand Slam title.
The condition occurred due to the training routines he followed from a young age under his uncle and coach Toni Nadal, threatening to derail his career early on. But Nadal chose to fight through the pain instead of stepping away from the sport.
Despite the recurring injury troubles, the Spanish legend continued to dominate world tennis, winning 13 more Grand Slam titles over the following nine years and remarkably lifting at least one major trophy every season during that period.
“Tennis became a race against time. Always having the doubt in my head of, how long can I last with this foot? I never knew how long my career would last. I always thought, maybe it’s the last year, so there’s no time to stop.”
Nadal on playing French Open 2022 with numb foot
The persistent foot problem led to several other health issues for Rafael Nadal, including chronic pain in his left knee and intestinal complications linked to prolonged use of medication.
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To stay competitive, Nadal often relied on specialised pain-management treatments, which included numbing injections before matches. During the 2022 French Open final the Spanish legend revealed that his foot had been completely anaesthetised, leaving him with almost no sensation in his leg as he played through the match.
“The key was the suffering was less than my passion and my happiness for what I was doing,” the 39-year-old said.
Also Read: Roger Federer to Carlos Alcaraz: Men’s Singles Players With A Career Grand Slam
