Injuries have plagued the likes of many players in tennis such as Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Naomi Osaka. They have had their tennis careers eclipsed by major bouts of injury overshadowing all the good tennis they played.
Rafael Nadal has been suffering from a persistent chronic foot issue that suddenly rose up during the Rome Open.
There were a lot of rumours flying around about Rafael Nadal’s potential retirement from the sport after he made certain statements in the post-match press conference of the match wherein he defeated Novak Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal would like to celebrate his 36th birthday by beating Alexander Zverev in his bid to reach his 14th French Open finals. The Australian Open champion is unbeaten at the French Open since he lost the semifinals to Novak Djokovic last year around.
Fans have been worried after Nadal had been dropping subtle hints about his possible retirement from the sport. For instance, after his quarterfinals finals win he said that he will be completing this tournament but is not sure what happens after this.
Rafael Nadal clears the air on his retirement plans
The fans of Rafael can rest easy since recently in an interview he said that he won’t be retiring. He further stated,
“I’m going to play this tournament but I don’t know what’s going to happen after here.”
“I trust and hope to be able to return. This last year has been difficult. Day to day, with everything that it entails, has been difficult not just because of all the effort but to stay competitive.
“And I play to be competitive. It’s what makes me really happy. We will keep thinking about the things we need to improve and the desire is to continue.”
Rafa Nadal’s coach Marc Lopez talking to Spanish radio station COPE:”I’m positive and I trust that Rafa’s foot will last until Sunday…. After the wear and tear against Djokovic, he got up with pain.”
Would fit with reports he only hit for 30 of scheduled 90 mins yesterday.
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) June 2, 2022
A lot of reports have indicated that Nadal may skip the Wimbledon to get much-needed rest and the Wimbledon won’t be having any ranking points this year either.
Rafael Nadal will be getting the world number 1 tag for the first time if he wins the Rolland Garros title on Sunday.
But in order to win yet another title in Paris, he will have to defeat a fired up Alexander Zverev who is currently high on momentum after defeating Carlos Alcaraz.