Horrific Injuries That Jeopardized Rafael Nadal’s Tennis Career

Legendary Spaniard Rafael Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles so far in his career, which is the most in men’s tennis. Moreover, he won 14 French Open titles, which is an incredible record that is nearly impossible to replicate. Safe to say, he had a fantastic career among all the men’s players. However, a number of injuries marred his career, which could have been even more astonishing.

In 2012 and 2021, Nadal suffered the most significant injuries of his career, which almost cost him a whole year. Moreover, he missed plenty of Grand Slam tournaments due to injuries. We will take a look at Nadal’s horrible injuries over the years, which jeopardized his career.

The worst injuries of Rafael Nadal in his career

After making his professional debut in 2001, Nadal suffered his first worst injury in 2003 before the French Open. During practice, he injured his elbow; as a result, he missed the French Open.

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The very next year, he missed both the French Open and the Wimbledon due to a stress fracture in his ankle, missing three months. In 2006, he missed the Australian Open due to a left foot injury. Then, his next big injury happened in 2009, when he had multiple injuries. Firstly, he missed Wimbledon that year due to tendinitis in his knees. Later, in the US Open, he had an abdominal injury but played with it.

In 2012, he suffered a left knee injury at Wimbledon which forced him to miss the Olympics, the US Open, and the rest of the season. He was out for almost seven months; hence, he missed next year’s Australian Open as well. In 2014, a right wrist injury after Wimbledon sidelined him for three months, as he missed the US Open that year.

2016 was possibly the worst year for Nadal in his career in terms of injuries and Grand Slam results. Due to a left wrist injury, Nadal missed the Wimbledon and the ATP Finals. Moreover, he failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time since 2004. In 2020, he missed the US Open due to a foot issue; notably, due to covid, many players pulled out of that tournament as well.

After 2012, Nadal didn’t have a long-term injury until 2021. After losing in the French Open, he suffered another foot issue, which has been bothering him for a while. Hence, he went through surgery, which forced him out of the Wimbledon and the US Open; he missed the rest of the season as well.

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However, 2022 has been a triumphant year for the Spaniard, as he won 2 Grand Slam titles, including the Australian Open and the French Open. Moreover, he reached the Wimbledon semis, where he suffered an abdominal tear. As a result, he missed almost a month. Later, he returned to the Cincinnati Masters and is currently preparing for the US Open 2022, vying for his 23rd Grand Slam title.

Safe to say, if it was not for all those injuries, Nadal could have won more Grand Slam titles, especially the French Open titles. At the moment, the Spaniard is 36-year-old. It will be interesting to see if he can stay injury free for the rest of his career, which will give him a better opportunity to compete for more Grand Slam titles.