“Rafael Nadal’s Injury History: A Look at the Physical Challenges Faced by the Tennis Legend”

2003: elbow

Two years after his professional debut, Nadal experienced his first physical problems which forced him to give up participating in Roland-Garros: an elbow injury caused in training.

2004: left foot

Aged 18, Nadal beat Richard Gasquet at the Estoril tournament despite a scaphoid fracture in his left foot, but was then forfeited for Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. The beginnings of a long series of foot injuries that will handicap him throughout his career.

August 2009: knee tendonitis

Winner of Wimbledon in 2008 after a memorable final against Roger Federer, the Spaniard could not defend his title on the London lawn the following year, due to persistent tendonitis in both knees.

September 2009: abs

Barely recovered from his tendonitis in his knees, Nadal competed in the US Open, where he was eliminated in the semi-finals, but admitted to suffering from an abdominal tear.

2012: left knee tendonitis

Forfeited for the London Olympics when he is the reigning Olympic champion, Nadal also gives up playing the US Open, in difficulty with his left knee.

January 2014: back

Diminished by a back injury, he still reached the Australian Open final, but lost against the Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.

July 2014: right wrist

Hit in the right wrist at the end of July, Nadal withdrew from Toronto and then from Cincinnati, before also giving up the US Open.

2016: left wrist

Already titled nine times at Roland-Garros, undefeated on clay since 2009, Nadal did not participate in 2016 due to a tendon injury in his left wrist.

February 2021: back

The year 2021 got off to a bad start for Nadal, who postponed his planned return to the ATP Cup because of his back pain and lost in the process in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

August 2021: left foot

Suffering again from his left foot, the Majorcan ends his 2021 season early, and explains that he has suffered for years from Müller-Weiss syndrome. This rare pathology affects one of the bones of his left foot, causing chronic pain. He is operated in September.

March 2022: cracked coast

Winner of his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-final, Nadal lost in the final against the American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-6 (7/5). He then misses several tournaments including that of Monte-Carlo due to a cracked rib during the Californian tournament.

July 2022: abs

Victim of an abdominal tear, Nadal dominates despite Fritz’s pain in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but finally throws in the towel the next day, giving up his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios. “It makes no sense to play if I want to pursue my career“, he said then.

January 2023: hip

After his premature exit at the Australian Open in the second round, Nadal explains that he suffers from hip pain. “It hurts, as always. But now the cup is getting full and there’s gonna be a time when it’s gonna overflow“, loose the Spaniard in a press conference. He has not resumed competition since.