Rafael Nadal had "Pain for Months,” Admits Coach Carlos Moya

[TennisFan3]

https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/rafael-nadal-had-pain-for-months-admits-coach-carlos-moya

Nadal recently revealed he has 'Muller-Weiss syndrome,' a foot condition caused by an improperly developed bone, starting as a teenager in 2005. Though he has used special footwear and played through the problem for much of his career, he indicated that it has been worse since he returned to competition following the break in 2020.

Moya confirmed the foot had been more of an issue this season, in practice and competition.

"But this year the story has changed," the coach told the El Transistor program. "Many training sessions could not be finished and we had to change the training and reduce the pressure on the foot, thinking of tournaments."

Nadal's condition is very variable, Moya added, and it was also tough to tell what his recovery would be like because the injury is little understood.

"One day we had to finish the training, the next day it is fine," said Moya. "There is a diagnosis, but it's not apparent what is the best treatment."

"He has been in pain for months," noted Moya. "In the final match [against Lloyd Harris at Washington, D.C.], he was practically on one leg.

"Rafa's principal objective is to regain good sensations in the foot and mentally, because hobbling around all year has not helped him on court."

"He started with back pain in Australia and he has played just seven events this season. Had to forfeit Wimbledon, Tokyo, and now the US Open, ATP Finals," said Moya. "That's why he has to concentrate on himself, not what's happening on tour."

_____________________________

Not looking good for Rafa. They are not sure what the treatment is. Could this be the end?
Please indicate your choice in the poll. Let's see what TTW predicts.

 

[Biotic]

He played every clay tournament under the sun, so clay indeed has healing properties.

 

[PilotPete]

Asterisk?

 

[Nostradamus]

he will return and win 5 more majors

 

[mattennis]

Moyá: "Nadal has had pain for months"

Some people here: "Nadal has been playing through excruciating pain non-stop in the last 20 years"

 

[Pheasant]

Nadal has dealt with this before, which is unfortunate. Hopefully, his foot pain can remain dormant long enough to have a couple more good streaks in him.

Never count this warrior out.

 

[TennisFan3]

Nadal has dealt with this before, which is unfortunate. Hopefully, his foot pain can remain dormant long enough to have a couple more good streaks in him.

Never count this warrior out.

Absolutely. But it's looking hard at this point.

 

[terribleIVAN]

So, this is what prevented him playing USO last year.

Amazing he still destroyed Novak in the RG final.

 

[BeatlesFan]

he will return and win 5 more majors

Why such a modest prediction? You have Djokovic fans here saying (apparently with a straight face) that he'll win 40 slams.

Anyway, Nadal might win one more FO but I would strongly bet against it. He's not going to win 3 slams after age 35 like Fed did. His brutal play style lasted way longer than most thought possible, but 35 is ancient for a tennis player. Always has been and still is true today.

 

[Raul_SJ]

"He has been in pain for months," noted Moya. "In the final match [against Lloyd Harris at Washington, D.C.], he was practically on one leg.

Wow. How great is Rafa? Almost beat World #45 Harris with one leg.

 

[RelentlessAttack]

He should probably just retire. Racking up french opens when he’s already the claygoat isn’t worth his future ability to enjoy life

 

[weakera]

It would be ironic if this condition was the one that finally did him in after it threatened to all those years ago.

 

[Fiero425]

So, this is what prevented him playing USO last year.

Amazing he still destroyed Novak in the RG final.

That's why I call "bull$#!t" on any commentary coming out of the Nadal camp! Listening to them, the only reason Rafa ever loses a match is due to injury!

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

To be GOAT he needs more slams OUTSIDE of clay, not more French Opens to surpass Djoker. so in that sense, he may as well retire since he wont win them. Hell, hes not even playing them. I would call it a career. Top 2-3-4 in the open era is nothing to scoff at

 

[Deleted member 771911]

We were blessed to have him. He suffered for us and we enjoyed his presence immensely.
I don't think he'll be back. I think he'll lead the GOATs into retirement with grace and a sense of timing.
Man I am going to miss him!

 

[Nadal_King]

Rafa will comeback strong as always unless I see vibes of 2015 again I won't say he is done since this year never saw those vibes. Uf his confidence goes asdown as 2015 then again reaching back to top willbe impossible at this age but currently the losses he had were more closer and to good players

 

[TennisFan3]

We were blessed to have him. He suffered for us and we enjoyed his presence immensely.
I don't think he'll be back. I think he'll lead the GOATs into retirement with grace and a sense of timing.
Man I am going to miss him!

Yes - he will be sorely missed.

 

[MichaelNadal]

To be GOAT he needs more slams OUTSIDE of clay, not more French Opens to surpass Djoker. so in that sense, he may as well retire since he wont win them. Hell, hes not even playing them. I would call it a career. Top 2-3-4 in the open era is nothing to scoff at

As asenine as saying Djokovic shouldn't win anymore AO's.

 

[PrinceMoron]

As i nine

 

[beard]

As asenine as saying Djokovic shouldn't win anymore AO's.

45% of slams at AO vs 65% at FO...
If we add second hard court slam (we are talking surfaces, don't we?) it's 12/20... 60% titles at 50% of occasions... Balance... if you know what that mean...
For example... Winning 65% of slams at 25% of occasions is very unbalanced...

 

[am1899]

So relieved to see there's another thread where this horse can be beaten further into submission.

 

[MichaelNadal]

45% of slams at AO vs 65% at FO...
If we add second hard court slam (we are talking surfaces, don't we?) it's 12/20... 60% titles at 50% of occasions... Balance... if you know what that mean...
For example... Winning 65% of slams at 25% of occasions is very unbalanced...

And yet Nadal leads Djokovic at 2 of the 4 slams and you wanna tell him where he needs to win LOL. Idiotic.

 

[Fiero425]

And yet Nadal leads Djokovic at 2 of the 4 slams and you wanna tell him where he needs to win LOL. Idiotic.

...so you can't understand what it means to have a balanced career? Gotcha! Not idiotic at all!

 

[MichaelNadal]

...so you can't understand what it means to have a balanced career? Gotcha! Not idiotic at all!

Yes, it means the HC GOAT still trails Nadal at a slam on HC im here for it

 

[Fiero425]

Yes, it means the HC GOAT still trails Nadal at a slam on HC im here for it

You're repeating yourself genius! Repeating something inane doesn't make it more competent!

 

[augustobt]

Unless Novak is peaking and Thiem is still on his draught, he's still a solid favorite for next year's RG.

 

[MichaelNadal]

You're repeating yourself genius! Repeating something inane doesn't make it more competent!

Bc yall keep repeating clay clay clay and never want to talk about the US Open

 

[Fiero425]

Bc yall keep repeating clay clay clay and never want to talk about the US Open

WTF is there to talk about? Nadal has 1 more USO! And? That's supposed to mean something? Why not bring up Wimbledon for the same reason? What else U got?

 

[MichaelNadal]

WTF is there to talk about? Nadal has 1 more USO! And? That's supposed to mean something? Why not bring up Wimbledon for the same reason? What else U got?

Lol that ass is chapped isn't it? They all have 20 slams man, and Djokovic is NOT better than Nadal at half the slams. Deal with the fact that Nadal is great too, you might live a better life Djokovic is certainly not winning 2 more USO's, so at the very best, the "HC Goat" can only hope to tie epicdal on Ashe

 

[terribleIVAN]

So relieved to see there's another thread where this horse can be beaten further into submission.

Have you seen the Fed threads these last 2 years ?

 

[socallefty]

Welcome to old age, Rafa where it hurts every time you play and Advil/Ibuprofen pills are a big household expense.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Welcome to old age, Rafa where it hurts every time you play and Advil/Ibuprofen pills are a big household expense.

325mg too lol

 

[Hitman]

Lol that ass is chapped isn't it? They all have 20 slams man, and Djokovic is NOT better than Nadal at half the slams. Deal with the fact that Nadal is great too, you might live a better life Djokovic is certainly not winning 2 more USO's, so at the very best, the "HC Goat" can only hope to tie epicdal on Ashe

If Djokovic wins the USO, he is above him there as slam finals come into the discussion then as they always have in the past, Lendl had only 3 titles also, but 8 overall finals made him stand out. Had he won 4 also, he would have been seen to be above McEnroe.

Nadal was seen above Djokovic at Wimbledon also after 2014, despite having two titles each, because Nadal had all those extra finals to his name at that point.

 

[MichaelNadal]

If Djokovic wins the USO, he is above him there as slam finals come into the discussion then as they always have in the past, Lendl had only 3 titles also, but 8 overall finals made him stand out. Had he won 4 also, he would have been seen to be above McEnroe.

Nadal was seen above Djokovic at Wimbledon also after 2014, despite having two titles each, because Nadal had all those extra finals to his name at that point.

4 titles each the rest of the TTW semantics don't interest me lol, all the tennis media pundits and graphics showing number of titles will talk about the trophies.

 

[Hitman]

4 titles each the rest of the TTW semantics don't interest me lol, all the tennis media pundits and graphics showing number of titles will talk about the trophies.

It may not matter to you, but in the historical context of the sport it matters. History will see Djokovic as greater if they have same amount of titles, as it has always, as slam finals get brought into the discussion. You don't need to personally like it, that's all good.

But hey, it hasn't happened yet, its still Nadal with the edge with the one title.

 

[MichaelNadal]

It may not matter to you, but in the historical context of the sport it matters. History will see Djokovic as greater if they have same amount of titles, as it has always, as slam finals get brought into the discussion. You don't need to personally like it, that's all good.

But hey, it hasn't happened yet, its still Nadal with the edge with the one title.

Exactly bestie, and even if it did, 2-1 bud

 

[Hitman]

Exactly bestie, and even if it did, 2-1 bud

Like I said, right now Nadal is rightfully ahead, and will remain ahead unless Djokovic wins another USO. That is where we are at now.

Gaudio and Ferrero both have one RG title each, yet Ferrero is seen as greater as he has more finals overall. It is what it is.

 

[tex123]

Moyá: "Nadal has had pain for months"

Some people here: "Nadal has been playing through excruciating pain non-stop in the last 20 years"

Moya has only been his coach for a few years. Ask Toni.

 

[beard]

And yet Nadal leads Djokovic at 2 of the 4 slams and you wanna tell him where he needs to win LOL. Idiotic.

We are talking surfaces, no?
Novak leads 2:1 bud...

Idiotic? Nice language

 

[ChrisRF]

...so you can't understand what it means to have a balanced career? Gotcha! Not idiotic at all!

Who cares about this and what does it even mean?

Right now they all have 20 Slams, so everything actually is balanced out. Because a bigger dominace at one place can compensate for a smaller dominance at more than one place. And this has to be the case, or otherwise a player who leads let’s say 3-2 and 4-3 over a certain player at two Slams and trails 1-10 at another one would be considered better because he leads at 2 places.

No, total number actually covers everything, so no need to find other artificial categories if the main one already is the telling one.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Who cares about this and what does it even mean?

Right now they all have 20 Slams, so everything actually is balanced out. Because a bigger dominace at one place can compensate for a smaller dominance at more than one place. And this has to be the case, or otherwise a player who leads let’s say 3-2 and 4-3 over a certain player at two Slams and trails 1-10 at another one would be considered better because he leads at 2 places.

No, total number actually covers everything, so no need to find other artificial categories if the main one already is the telling one.

You'd think they'd be bright enough to understand this. All 3 are great for different reasons.

 

[Karma Tennis]

Old Father Time eventually catches up with everyone.

Nadal has been incredible over the last 5 years. Imho, it's nothing short of a miracle that he can still walk, let alone play tennis at such high levels.

He is a great champion, usurped Bjorn Borg as the greatest Clay Court tennis player of all time and holds a recored that will never be broken (RG Titles!)

He owes us nothing more than to conduct a Farewell Tour where he can Thank all his fans one more time ... and we can Thank him.

(But if he could win just one more Major Title ... let it be an Australian Open Title so he can complete a Dual Career Grand Slam!)

VAMOS !!!

 

[The Fedfather]

Rafa was very clear about coming back and that he's sure the rehab will be successful. He is very motivated, that's for sure.

As far as winning Slams, with the Big 3 and the rest of the current field you never know. You'd think the chances are small, but then how big were Federer's chances to win 3 Slams after 2016, or how likely was Djokovic to be playing for the CYGS at 34? Cheer up, Rafa fans. We don't know what the future holds, but it's better to think it will be something good and then deal with whatever comes.

 

[HelenCH]

Old Father Time eventually catches up with everyone.

Nadal has been incredible over the last 5 years. Imho, it's nothing short of a miracle that he can still walk, let alone play tennis at such high levels.

He is a great champion, usurped Bjorn Borg as the greatest Clay Court tennis player of all time and holds a recored that will never be broken (RG Titles!)

He owes us nothing more than to conduct a Farewell Tour where he can Thank all his fans one more time ... and we can Thank him.

(But if he could win just one more Major Title ... let it be an Australian Open Title so he can complete a Dual Career Grand Slam!)

VAMOS !!!

If he plays in the slams it will be RG where he has the highest chances due to his clay skills. He knows where he is the strongest and if he plays this is where it will be. Trying too hard in AO can make his condition worse, risk his clay season, and still leave him with nothing. Where his foot condition will allow him to last the distance in any tournament or in a succession of few tournaments is another matter, but I suspect he will be maximising his chances where they are already considerable rather than chasing birds.

 

[weakera]

Rafa was very clear about coming back and that he's sure the rehab will be successful. He is very motivated, that's for sure.

As far as winning Slams, with the Big 3 and the rest of the current field you never know. You'd think the chances are small, but then how big were Federer's chances to win 3 Slams after 2016, or how likely was Djokovic to be playing for the CYGS at 34? Cheer up, Rafa fans. We don't know what the future holds, but it's better to think it will be something good and then deal with whatever comes.

Nadal doesn't need to make it back to his best to win Roland Garros again. He just needs to not be at his worst, like he was in 2021.

If Nadal was a 3/10 in 2021, and an 8/10 in 2020 - he can win RG 2022 at probably 4.5/10.

 

[GameSetDjokovic]

45% of slams at AO vs 65% at FO...
If we add second hard court slam (we are talking surfaces, don't we?) it's 12/20... 60% titles at 50% of occasions... Balance... if you know what that mean...
For example... Winning 65% of slams at 25% of occasions is very unbalanced...

He is the clay goat. That is it. Numbers speak for themselves

 

[SonnyT]

He played every clay tournament under the sun, so clay indeed has healing properties.

In another recent statement, Moya emphasized the pain was minimal on clay. This year he didn't play Wimbledon because of exhaustion, not the foot. Maybe grass will prove more similar to clay.

There seems to be a painkiller for everything, why not for this condition?

 

[am1899]

Have you seen the Fed threads these last 2 years ?

Yup. Annoying!

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

As asenine as saying Djokovic shouldn't win anymore AO's.

Nadal doesn't need to make it back to his best to win Roland Garros again. He just needs to not be at his worst, like he was in 2021.

If Nadal was a 3/10 in 2021, and an 8/10 in 2020 - he can win RG 2022 at probably 4.5/10.

He can’t beat Tsitsipas playing at that level either at the French. If djoker didn’t beat him tstsipas we would have squashed him in the finals this year

tstsipas is probably the best on clay right now. Choking aside. If he can get the choking under control when he has big leads, he’ll probably dominate both clay and hards

 

[Karma Tennis]

If he plays in the slams it will be RG where he has the highest chances due to his clay skills.

It depends on the true nature of his foot injury. Players have to slide a lot on clay and that can wreak havoc on foot injuries and knees. It's also much harder to hit clean winners on clay and the serve is not the weapon it is on other surfaces. So longer rallies, more footwork, really takes a toll on the legs and feet.

My guess is he will prioritise Roland Garros for sure. He may even pass on the Australian Open. But even so, he is not getting any younger and winning seven Best of 5 Matches on clay given his circumstances will be a Herculean effort. If anyone can do it, Rafa can ... but it is a huge ask - especially if guys like Tsitsipas, Thiem and Djokovic are in form.