"After 2nd round, I couldn't walk" admits Nadal after Roland Garros triumph
ATP
Rafael Nadal revealed that he couldn't walk after his second-round match at the 2022 Roland Garros.
Nadal won his 22nd Grand Slam title in the French capital after beating Casper Ruud in the final of the clay-court Grand Slam. His win means that he is now two major titles ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the so-called 'GOAT Race.'
The Spaniard only lost three sets on his way to the title, two to Felix Auger-Aliassime and one to Novak Djokovic, and was dominant throughout the tournament.
However, his physical health was in doubt after he suffered an injury only two weeks before the tournament started. Following his victory, Nadal was obviously delighted with how the two weeks ended.
"For me having this trophy next to me again means everything. [It] has been [an] emotional victory, without a doubt. Unexpected in some ways. [I am] very happy. [It] has been a great two weeks. I played from the beginning, improving every day."
"Finishing [by] playing a good final. [I am] super happy and can't thank everybody enough for the support since the first day that I arrived here. [It is] very emotional.”
Nadal admitted that out of respect for his rivals, he didn't want to talk about his health struggles during the tournament, but once it was over, he could open up about his issues.
"I didn't want to talk about the foot during the tournament. I said I'm going to speak after the tournament, and now I can speak because I wanted to focus on my tennis and respect my rivals."
"I was able to play during these two weeks with extreme conditions. I have been playing with injections on the nerves to sleep the foot, and that's why I was able to play during these two weeks."
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"Because I have no feelings on my foot, because my doctor was able to put anesthetic injections on the nerves. That takes out the feeling on my foot. But at the same time, it's a big risk in terms of less feelings, a little bit bigger risk of turning your ankle."
Nadal revealed that he was willing to continue playing despite measures that must have been taken only because it was Roland Garros, a tournament that he won 13 times before this year's edition. At the same time, he revealed that he couldn't walk at one point.
"So of course Roland Garros is Roland Garros. Everybody knows how much it means to me this tournament, so I wanted to keep trying and to give myself a chance here.”
"My worst moment in this tournament was after my 2R match against Moutet. I couldn't walk anymore. I had to have my foot anesthetized to be able to keep going. A special thanks to my doctor."
