‘I Had Come Close to Tennis Death’ – When Rafael Nadal Was Left Disdained With Life’s Race Against Time

Rafael Nadal, the Spanish tennis legend, has reached unprecedented heights during his stellar tennis journey. Nadal has dominated the tennis court with his ferocious and powerful way of playing the sport. However, even an athlete like the Spaniard faces hardships and struggles during their journey.

The former world No.1 once made a shocking revelation about an injury that almost ended his tennis career. Nadal previously launched his autobiography titled “Rafa: My Story” in 2011. In that book, he talked about his glorious tennis journey and also mentioned a horrific injury.

Rafael Nadal once stated that a horrific injury almost ended his tennis journey

In his book, the Spaniard talked about how a scaphoid bone injury almost ended his tennis journey at a very young age in 2006. Rafael Nadal stated that his tarsal scaphoid bone has always been a huge setback for him. He was just 19 years old when this injury affected him during his training sessions.

However, with the help of a foot specialist and other medical procedures, the Spaniard was able to recover from the horrific injury. Additionally, the scaphoid bone injury gave him the most important lesson of his tennis journey.

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Nadal talked about how the injury affected him by stating, “This understanding led me to only one conclusion: I’d have to play each one, and train for each one as if it were my last. I had come close to tennis death; I had stared the end of my tennis career face and the experience, awful as it had been, had made me stronger mentally, given me the wisdom to see that life -any life is a race against time.”

After recovering from his bone injury, Nadal defeated one of his biggest rivals, Roger Federer, in a tournament in Dubai. He later revealed that the surface of the court was hard and it was difficult for him to compete against the Swiss Maestro.

Nike helped Nadal during his scaphoid bone injury

The popular sporting brand, Nike, designed a shoe that was higher and wider than the one Nadal used before. The sole of the shoe was thicker, and it acted as a cushion for the Spaniard’s scaphoid bone injury. Nadal further revealed that the sole of his new shoe was at first a bit uncomfortable. He also stated that he suffered muscle strains on his back and thighs.

However, despite all the struggles, he started his training sessions with his new shoes. The Spaniard trained hard on the tennis court and overcame many injuries and other barriers. As a result, he has now become one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport.

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