Rafael Nadal said on Sunday he couldn’t continue playing if he had to continue to have numbness in his legs, admitting “I can’t go on like this, but I’m working to find a solution”. Nadal won his 14th French Open title and 22nd Grand Slam with a straight set victory over Casper Ruud at Roland Garros but said his future in the sport remains in doubt. “Obviously in the circumstances where I’m playing, I can’t and I don’t want to move on, so the thinking is very clear. I’ll keep working to try to find a solution and improve for what. happens in the feet,” said the 36-year-old.
Nadal has revealed he needs pain-relieving injections in his left foot before each match and will have it again this week back in Spain.
“If it works, I move on. If not, that’s a different story and I’ll ask myself if I’m ready for a major surgery that may not guarantee I’ll compete.” and it can take a long time to come back.”
Nadal said that injecting anesthetic into the nerve in his foot was the only way he would get through the tournament.
He and his medical team will now use a nerve-burning technique using what he describes as “radiofrequency injections” to “sleep two nerves”.
Nadal said he plans to play Wimbledon, where he is a two-time champion and will be conducted in three weeks’ time.
“I would go to Wimbledon if my body was ready for Wimbledon. That’s it. Wimbledon is not a tournament I want to miss,” he said.
“I love Wimbledon. So if you ask me if I’m going to Wimbledon, I can’t give you a definite answer. Let’s see how it goes.”
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If the treatment works and he is able to survive on anti-inflammatory drugs and without anesthesia, he will be available at the All England Club after having sat out last year’s tournament.
“If I can play with the anti-inflammatory, yes; to play with the anesthetic, no. I don’t want to put myself in that position again.”
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