New Delhi: Rafael Nadal has spoken about the intense physical struggles during her legendary tennis career, revealing how constant pain and difficult health decisions became part of her journey to greatness.Speaking to the BBC, the 39-year-old admitted that his pursuit of success often pushes him physically to the edge. “I had to make a decision about my health, where you’re on the border between right and wrong,” Nadal said. “But if I hadn’t found them all, I probably would have had 10 less Grand Slams… That’s the truth.”Nadal was diagnosed with the rare Müller-Vaiss syndrome in his foot in 2005, just months before French Open title at the age of 19. This condition, combined with the intense physical demands of professional tennis, put his career in constant jeopardy.Despite the diagnosis, Nadal refused to give up. Over the next several years, he built one of the greatest careers in tennis history, winning multiple Grand Slam titles and dominating the clay courts like no other player before him.But behind the trophies and celebration, Nadal admitted he was constantly worried about how long his body would hold up.“Tennis has become a race against time,” Nadal. “I’ve always had doubts in my head, how long can I go on with this foot? I never knew how long my career would last.”“I always thought, maybe this is the last year, so there’s no time to stop.”The physical damage eventually led to serious knee problems and intestinal problems from prolonged use of painkillers. Nadal also revealed that during some tournaments he needed anesthetic injections just to compete.He admitted that during his last Grand Slam victory at the 2022 French Open, he was playing with almost no feeling in his leg.Still, Nadal says his love for tennis made him suffer. “The important thing was that the pain was less than my passion and my joy in what I was doing,” he explained.
