An injury that has accompanied him since he was 18: the pain in his left foot that threatens Rafael Nadal’s career

Even Rafael Nadal’s huge win over Novak Djokovic for the Roland Garros quarter-finals couldn’t avoid questions about the manacorí’s left foot. And it is that in recent weeks the term “Müller-Weiss syndrome” has resonated more and more strongly when it comes to world number four. From his expressions of pain in Rome to the powerful phrase “I don’t know what will happen after this tournament » which he launched at a press conference yesterday. Everything has amplified the questions about the situation he is going through.

Concretely, what we know at present is that, on the one hand, it is an incurable disease and, on the other hand, Nadal has lived with her for more than 15 years . Constant injections and different treatments have sought to lessen the impact, but over time the pain increases.

More specifically, Müller-Weiss syndrome is a tarsal scaphoid dysplasia, which is generated in the first years of life and manifests itself when the subject is already beginning its adult life . In Rafa’s case, this was present in 2005, when he played his first Masters final, left-footed.

The complexity of this is that it is incurable and degenerative a, it is therefore impossible to exceed it completely, even less when one is a top athlete, since this bone (tarsal scaphoid) helps to form the arch of the foot that supports the head of the talus, being a fundamental part for the movement of the foot.

When the problem attacked the Spaniard, the only solution found by the doctors was special insoles, which allowed him to shift the pressure to other areas of the foot and reduce the pain. A measure that helped Nadal to be able to compete again, but also caused problems, since by modifying the natural support points, other joints have suffered over time this is one of the explanations why the Spaniard suffered so many lower-body injuries.

The worst was that the problem was not completely behind either, suffering from several relapses over the years . The last at the Masters 1000 in Rome a little over two weeks ago. It was in the round of 16 of the Italian tournament, when the Balearics took on Denis Shapovalov and finished the match walking. It was a difficult moment and it almost left Nadal without participating in Roland Garros.

He was finally able to be in Paris and is already among the top four. But the pain does not go away. “I have nothing to hide at my age. I have this foot injury and if we don’t find a solution, it’s difficult for me. For the moment, we have not found this solution. play the semi-finals It gives me a lot of energy for me and we’ll see how it goes here.” commented after beating Djokovic.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion’s injury annoyance is mainly due to the fact that last year the problems with his left foot were very serious. After a grueling tour on clay, the Spaniard was scratched from Wimbledon and the Olympics due to malaise in this area, with the aim of being able to compete at the US Open again.

But when he played the tournament in Washington, before the US Open, the pain was already unbearable. He lost in the second round and very complicated, being forced to stop. Not only was he scratched from the North American tour, he had to have surgery and not play for six months.

Now the pain persists, but Roland Garros allows him to stay focused. After Roland-Garros, even he does not know what the future holds for him. He had already released a mysterious “this may be my last game here “, before facing Djokovic.