18-year-old Rafael Nadal’s grave injury could have sidelined his career forever: here’s what happened

The 22-time Grand Slam singles winner recalled being informed of living his entire life in pain at the age of 18.

18-year-old Rafael Nadal’s grave injury could have sidelined his career forever: here’s what happened

Rafael Nadal (image via IMAGO)

Former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is one of the contenders in the GOAT debate. The 22-time Grand Slam singles title winner edges out his rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer by virtue of his twin Olympic gold medals.

He won the Gold in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He added his second, this time in doubles, partnering Marc Lopez in the Rio Olympics in 2016. Although Nole leads the race for most Majors with 24 to his name, the superior Olympics record of Nadal keeps him alive in the debate.

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Rafa is also dubbed the ‘King of Clay’. With 14 French Open titles, eight more than second-ranked Bjorn Borg, the Spaniard has an unmatched superiority on the surface. Of his 92 titles, 63 have come on clay while having lost only 8 title deciders on the surface.

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Many consider the Spaniard unlucky in one aspect that potentially halted his success. His chronic foot injury has troubled him throughout his professional career and caused trouble at various times.

The injury is often blamed for holding him back which then forced the 22-time Major winner to focus more on Clay to boost his chances of winning a title. This has been a trend for him in the past many seasons and he recently opened up on how things changed for him at the age of 18. 

I had the most significant injury of my career when I was 18, my foot injury. From there, my professional life took a turn. They told me it would be very difficult for me to do sports again. From there, I learned to live with doubts and pain. From a young age, they taught me to be strong.
Said the King of Clay speaking in his interview Spain’s La Sexta.

Rafael Nadal unsure of participation in Indian Wells next month

The Spaniard started the 2024 season at the Brisbane International. Having lost in the quarter-finals of the ATP-250 event, he suffered another injury setback. As a result, he had to withdraw from the 2024 Australian Open.

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Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

With many expecting him to return at the Qatar Open in Doha this month, the fans were in for another disappointing news. The recovery has not been as expected and as a result, the two-time Wimbledon winner withdrew his name from the event.

In a tweet that he put out, he informed his fans of him being positive about his next events. He is set to play current World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match in Las Vegas. He is then scheduled to travel to the Californian desert for the Indian Wells Masters.

While he remains hopeful, he is yet to confirm as of now if he can play the Masters event. The Spaniard did not comment on his plan to play at the 2024 Miami Masters which is scheduled after the tournament in Indian Wells.

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