Rafael Nadal has no idea yet whether he can participate in Roland Garros in more than a week. The 21-time Grand Slam winner was eliminated on Thursday at the Masters tournament in Rome, where a persistent foot injury played tricks on him again.
Nadal had to acknowledge his superiority in the eighth finals in Denis Shapovalov (6-1, 5-7 and 2-6), where he was in a lot of pain from the second set. The foot injury kept the Spaniard sidelined for months last year.
“I don’t know what the next few days look like. What the situation will be in a week; really no idea,” said Nadal, 35, who can only hope to make it to Roland Garros, which starts in nine days. His injury makes him quite despondent.
“It’s time for me to accept the situation and fight. For now I don’t know whether it’s better to rest or train. But I have a goal (Roland Garros, ed.) and I keep dreaming of that goal to get.”
Rafael Nadal had to recognize his superior in Denis Shapovalov.
Rafael Nadal had to recognize his superior in Denis Shapovalov. Photo: Pro Shots
‘It’s not always easy to keep going’
Nadal hopes that the situation will improve in the coming days and that he can at least try it at Roland Garros, the Grand Slam tournament that he won no less than thirteen times.
“I need to see if I can train without pain first,” he said. “At Roland Garros I always have a doctor with me, that sometimes helps. I have to accept days like today and keep going, even if it is sometimes not easy for me.”
At the beginning of this month, Nadal was also eliminated from the clay tournament in his home city of Madrid, where he had to recognize his superiority in the semi-finals in compatriot and top talent Carlos Alcaraz.
Roland Garros starts on May 22. Nadal last won the second Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season in 2020. Last year, the former number one in the world was eliminated in the semifinals by Novak Djokovic.