Rafael Nadal starts at Wimbledon despite persistent foot problems. The tennis star had to take criticism for his approach.
In London, Rafael Nadal wants to win his third Grand Slam title in 2022. But for a long time it was unclear whether the Spaniard could even start at Wimbledon. The reason for this are major injuries, which the 36-year-old has been carrying around for many months.
A special therapy finally relieved Nadal’s chronic pain in his foot. “Of course, the treatment didn’t improve my injury per se, but it can take away the pain a little. That’s the main goal,” the tennis professional reported recently.
Nadal had undergone pulsed radiofrequency therapy in Barcelona. The affected foot nerves are numbed and can no longer transmit the pain stimulus to the brain, as media reports have said.
Taking painkillers is a bad sign
Nadal has also been taking painkillers for years. Ernst König, the head of Swiss Sport Integrity (formerly Antidoping Switzerland), commented on this to the “daily indicator“We have no objection to the one-time use of a Ponstan,” he told the newspaper, but added: “But if it becomes chronic, it becomes problematic. This begs the question: is this the sport we want? What signal do you send to young athletes? What do you tell them when they are in a similar situation? Of course, they also want painkillers.”
Nadal’s method is allowed. At the same time, König explained: “We try to tell the young athletes: Listen to your body. We also fight against the excessive intake of dietary supplements. We consider the attitude of throwing in a powder when you have trained too much to be fatal. It would be better to give the body a break.”
“If an athlete prepares for the Olympic Games for four years and has a terrible headache the morning before his competition, I think it’s legitimate for him to say: Now I’ll take a headache pill. It’s important to make a distinction. And sensitize when it is becomes problematic,” König explained.