Rafael Nadal played just two matches after last year’s Roland Garros, ending the year in August after a serious foot injury. Rafa injured his left foot again with problems in the Roland Garros semifinal against Novak Djokovic.
He barely endured the fourth set and struggled for the rest of the season after testing his body in Washington. Like many times before, Nadal overcame the issues and made a perfect start to the 2022 season with 20 wins in as many meetings!
Rafa claimed his first Australian Open crown since 2009 following an epic comeback against Daniil Medvedev in the final. The Spaniard lifted another trophy in Acapulco and reached the final in Indian Wells. Rafa broke a rib in the semifinal and fell to Taylor Fritz in the title match for his first loss in 2022.
Nadal skipped Monte Carlo and Barcelona, eager to recover for notable events in May and June. Instead, the king of clay was out of form in Madrid and Rome and managed only three wins. To make matters worse, the foot pain was present again, and Nadal was not in a good position for Roland Garros.
Rafa lost to Denis Shapovalov in the third round at the Foro Italico, almost retiring in the third set and leaving Roma with a limp!
Rafael Nadal had to find a solution for his troubled foot.
The Spaniard took his doctor to Paris and received injections in his feet before each game to ease the pain and endure best-of-five efforts for two weeks!
Nadal did it in style, like many times in the past in Paris. He overcame the most challenging obstacles to win back the trophy lost to Novak Djokovic a year ago. Rafa edged out Djokovic in the quarterfinals after more than four hours.
He built a narrow lead over Alexander Zverev before the German withdrew after three hours of an epic semi-final battle. Nadal advanced to his 14th Roland Garros final and defeated Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for his 22nd Major crown.
Rafa spoke about Roland Garros in his recent interview and stated that he would not have had a chance in Paris without doctors. They killed the pain in his foot, and the king of clay did the rest on court, backed by Australian Open success.
Furthermore, he admitted that he thought about retiring despite winning a Major, unable to deal with foot pain without a permanent solution. Luckily, Nadal found a suitable treatment, hoping to put the pain behind him and extend his career for a few more years.
«I was so happy after winning Roland Garros. However, I thought about retiring at the same time. I knew it would be impossible to continue without finding a solution for my problem foot and chronic pain,» Rafael Nadal said.
