Jean-François Pérès, edited by Solène Leroux
Rafael Nadal was eliminated Thursday night in the round of 16 of the Rome tournament. A few days before Roland-Garros, his state of health is worrying. He is currently not in good shape, and he does not hide it. It’s rare to see the Spaniard so moved, but he doesn’t even want to hide his discomfort anymore.
Ten days before Roland-Garros, Nadal worries. The Spaniard was eliminated Thursday night in the round of 16 of the Rome tournament. The sporting performance of Rafael Nadal was not shameful, but on the other hand his physical condition was not that of the great days. He is currently not in good shape, and he does not hide it. It’s rare to see the Spaniard so moved, but he doesn’t even want to hide his discomfort anymore. You should know that he has suffered for years from Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a very rare bone disease that handicaps him under the left foot. He has already been operated on for this, but each time it comes back.
Thursday night was perhaps too much pain. He still wanted to go to the end of his match against the Canadian Denis Shapovalov. But immediately after, at a press conference, the king of Roland-Garros was almost fatalistic. “No, I’m not injured. I’m just a player who has to live with an injury. It’s not the same,” he said.
Ultimate goal? A 14th victory at Roland-Garros
And to add: “Of course it’s difficult to accept this situation. It’s frustrating. There are a lot of days when I can’t even train properly.” The Spaniard keeps in mind “another big goal”: “In a few days, I will continue to dream of this goal.”
This goal is a 14th victory at Roland-Garros. To achieve it, Rafael Nadal will probably ask to start his tournament as late as possible. He will be accompanied by his personal doctor. But will that be enough to face defending champion Novak Djokovic, or new sensation Carlos Alcaraz? The countdown is on, and we can say that the Spaniard is about to take on one of the craziest challenges of his immense career.