Rafael Nadal has spoken about the heavy physical burden behind his tennis success, revealing that he spent much of his career competing while carrying serious injuries in order to remain at the top of the sport.
According to BBC Sport on Friday, the 22-time Grand Slam winner reflects in a new Netflix documentary series on the sacrifices and difficult health decisions that shaped his career longevity and achievements.
He said:
“I’ve had to make decisions about my health, where you are on the borderline between right or wrong.
“But if I hadn’t explored all that, I probably would have had 10 fewer Grand Slams. I’m not saying one or two, I’m saying 10 or 12. This is the reality,” he said.
Nadal first rose to prominence in 2005 when he won the French Open on his debut at the tournament, defeating Roger Federer in the semi-finals before securing the title at just 19 years old.
However, he noted that the same period also marked the start of long-term injury struggles.
“That was the origin of all my problems,” he said, referring to a foot issue that later developed into the rare condition known as Mueller-Weiss syndrome.
He described his tennis journey as a constant struggle against time and uncertainty over his physical condition.
“Tennis became a race against time,” Nadal explained. “Always having the doubt in my head of, ‘how long can I last with this foot?’ I never knew how long my career would last.”
“I always thought, ‘maybe it’s the last year, so there’s no time to stop.’”
He further explained that the use of custom insoles helped him continue competing, but also led to additional strain on other parts of his body.
“My knee was destroyed. The tendon basically had a hole in it,” he said. “Having to play with an insole throughout my entire career threw the rest of my body out of whack.”
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Nadal also reflected on the repeated injury setbacks he endured throughout his career and his mindset during recovery periods.
“I went through a couple of long processes of injuries. “But I was ready to accept that moment, to tolerate the frustration and keep working with hope and passion,” he added.
One of the most striking examples of his pain management came during the 2022 French Open, where he used anaesthetic injections to completely numb the nerve in his foot in order to compete. Despite the lack of sensation, he went on to win a record 14th title at the tournament.
Former world number one John McEnroe reacted with disbelief, saying: “He doesn’t feel his foot, and he’s winning this? What are you going to tell me next? He’s going to play blindfolded, and he’s going to win it also?”
Across his career, Nadal captured 22 Grand Slam titles, placing him second in the all-time men’s list behind Novak Djokovic and helping define one of the sport’s greatest rivalries.
Despite the physical sacrifices, he insists his passion for the game never faded.
“The suffering was less than my passion and my happiness for what I was doing,” Nadal said.
His reflections highlight the extreme demands behind his career and how close he came to stepping away from tennis far earlier than he eventually did.