Nadal says foot injury a concern ahead of French Open

GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/REUTERS

Rafael Nadal leaves court after a defeat against Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open in Rome, Italy, on May 12, 2022.

Rafa Nadal said that everyday training was a challenge and he would take a doctor with him to Roland Garros after the 21-times major winner was once again hampered by a chronic foot injury in his defeat by Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open on Thursday.

Nadal, who only recently returned from a stress fracture in the ribs, struggled badly at the back end of his match against the Canadian as he went down 1-6 7-5 6-2 in the last-16, Reuters reported.

"I had my foot again with a lot of pain. I am a player living with an injury – it is nothing new. It's something that is there," Nadal, a 10-times champion in Rome, told reporters.

Nadal's preparation heading into the French Open, where he will be bidding for a record-extending 14th title, has been far from ideal after he was also knocked out of last week's Madrid Open by Carlos Alcaraz at the quarter-finals stage.

"First thing that I need to do is to don't have pain to practice... it's true that during the French Open, Roland Garros, I going to have my doctor there with me. That sometimes helps because you can do things," said Nadal.

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