“I limp on many days,” Rafael Nadal shares his story of braving the pain as reaches the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open


“I limp on many days,” Rafael Nadal shares his story of braving the pain as reaches the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal played out a clay court classic on Thursday at the Madrid Open as he defeated David Goffin 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(9), in three hours and nine minutes in a very gruelling encounter. The 35-year-old desperately needed match practice coming into this tournament as he missed the start of the clay-court season due to injury and this was something that he dreamt of. David Goffin also played sublime tennis and forced Nadal to play out of his skin to secure the win and book a ticket to the next round at the Spanish capital.

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After the win, Nadal answered several questions surrounding his health and injury concerns. The 21-time Grand Slam winner was asked why he was limping on the court as he highlighted how he has a chronic foot injury and feels pain every now and then. So given his situation, he feels that it is completely normal for him to limp a bit. “If you saw me on a daily basis, you would not be worried because I limp on many days of my life,” Nadal replied.

“I always have pain in my foot, especially after playing a three-hour match or long training. So it’s normal that now I am walking a little badly,” he added. He shared how his foot problem did not allow him to finish the game earlier as he continued, “I have a chronic foot injury which has no treatment. That’s part of my life, and that’s the downside of not being able to finish the match earlier.”

But the Spaniard feels that it is good thing that he had to dig out a game like this which took over three hours for him to secure a win as he feels that more match practice will only help him going forward as he prepares for the Roland Garros later this year. “In a way it’s good that I have long matches, because after a long break my foot needs to get use to the physical toughness of competition again. But I am also conscious for [Friday], because I can wake up with more problems and we have to accept and face it.”

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Rafael Nadal will face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is all set to face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. The last time he faced the Spanish youngster, he got injured at the Indian Wells semifinals. Although he won the match against Alcaraz he lost out in the finals against Taylor Fritz. That was his last game before he was sidelined due to a stress fracture on his ribs. He missed the start of the clay-court season.

In the meantime, Carlos Alcaraz carried his great form from the Indian Wells and became the youngster ever to win the Miami Open. He followed it up with another top class performance on clay at the Barcelona Open and is in sublime touch in the Spanish capital. So it promises to be a great clash between two generations of superstars from Spain as Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to secure his first win against his idol.

Also Read: ATP Madrid Open 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Carlos Alcaraz Prediction, Head to Head, Preview, and Live Stream details

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