Rafael Nadal is regarded as one of the finest tennis players of all time, but when he tried to solve his injury troubles himself at the twilight of his career, he invited trouble. The 23-year-long career was filled with two things in particular: success and injuries. In a desperate bid to keep his career going, he took drastic measures. As a result, he still suffers from medical ailments even after his retirement in 2024.

With his chapter-based documentary titled ‘Rafa’ set to release on Netflix on May 29, Nadal was asked about the instances when he defied the doctors and played matches even when he was advised not to. The 39-year-old revealed that he started taking medications by himself during the later stages of his career, and this resulted in him suffering from a serious health condition.

“And there came a day when I said, well, when you say that there is a limit between what is right or wrong, now I am the one who decides when to take anti-inflammatories, when not to take them, how many I take, or how many I do not take. And they (doctors) practically didn’t even know. For the simple fact that, of course, it was uncomfortable for me to have to ask all day when I knew that the other person did not agree with that,” he told Marca in an interview.

“But from my point of view, it was either that or I didn’t play tennis. So, when I say that there is a boundary between what is right and wrong, it is because, in the end, I know that it is harmful to my body. In fact, as I said, I have two perforations in my intestines from taking so many anti-inflammatories. But if it hadn’t been like that, my career would have been completely different,” he added.

In an attempt to heal his injuries, the high dosage of anti-inflammatories resulted in two intestinal perforations that still cause him problems today.

Nadal suffered from a variety of injuries during his playing career. A hip injury in 2024 was the final straw as it led to him a pre-mature retirement.

One of Nadal’s worst injury blows came back in 2005 when he was diagnosed with the Muller-Weiss Syndrome in his left foot. This incurable condition severely affected the navicular bone in his foot and caused him excruciating pain daily. Nadal had to take a number of specialized injections and wear customized shoes in order to play.

The Spaniard also suffered from chronic tendinitis in both his knees, which kept him out of action frequently and led him to miss multiple Grand Slams, especially between 2009 and 2012.

Finally, Nadal also suffered from serious wrist injuries on two occasions. The first blow came in 2016 that led to him withdrawing from his third-round clash at the French Open. He stayed on the sidelines for a long period of time before eventually returning at the Rio Olympics. The former World No. 1 then sustained an inflammation on his left wrist in 2019, resulting in him pulling out from the Shanghai Masters and the Laver Cup final.

Recently, his compatriot, Carlos Alcaraz had also picked up a wrist injury and he is now set to miss out on both the French Open and Wimbledon. With Nadal having suffered similar setbacks during his playing days, he had offered Alcaraz a personal piece of advice after learning about his injury.

Rafael Nadal backs Carlos Alcaraz’s decision of taking a long break

While many felt that Alcaraz should have tried to recover in time for the Grand Slams, Nadal had a different point-of-view. He believes that the injury Alcaraz has sustained needs to be properly treated and for that, the player needs to rest at all costs.

“I think he has made the right decisions. Taking into account that he is very young, that he has a whole career ahead of him, and that he is doing the treatment he needs to do, because it is something I know well. After all, I broke it twice, what he has broken now, or the problem he has in his wrist,” he had told RNE Deportes.

While Nadal knows that the setback has huge consequences for Alcaraz, he also acknowledged that the latter is experienced enough to handle such an injury.

“He has enough experience, he is no longer a rookie on the circuit, he knows things happen. Obviously, it is a big setback for him. In his case, he is a very complete player who wins everywhere, but where he can make the biggest difference, in my view, is on clay,” he added.

Alcaraz is set to lose a total of 3,700 points on the rankings due to his withdrawals from the Roland Garros and the grass swing. While it is still likely that he will hold on to the second position, his ranking could drop if he doesn’t return even after Wimbledon’s conclusion.