Former Spanish middle-distance runner and three-time Olympian Jose Luis Gonzalez would like to see Rafael Nadal talk less about his injuries and physical problems as he suggested that sometimes it seems like the Spaniard is trying to get empathy from others.
Nadal, 36, is having a stunning 2022 season and the fact that he has been able to win big titles while battling a chronic foot pain makes his achievements even more impressive. Like never before, the Mueller-Weiss syndrome has been causing Nadal’s problems.
Still, Nadal won the opening two Grand Slams of the season and now he is a record 22-time Grand Slam champion. For two weeks straight at the US Open, Nadal was taking anaesthetic injections and painkillers to numb the pain in his foot.
“I do not agree with Rafael Nadal that he talks so much about his injuries,” Gonzalez said. “I think he is wrong talking so much about his ailments in the face of public opinion, because it could be understood as victimization.
If you decide to go to a competition, it is because you are in a position to do so. If you accept the challenge, you accept it and you should not talk about your physical problems.”
Gonzalez wants Nadal to talk less about his physical issues
“One must assume that he is there to compete, period.
There are girls in rhythmic gymnastics with more physical problems than Nadal and they don’t talk as much. My patellar tendon was also removed,” Gonzalez added. After winning the French Open, Nadal returned to Spain, where he has been undergoing a treatment on his foot.
This Monday, Nadal practiced on grass for the first time. It appears that Nadal is trending toward competing at Wimbledon as it is not a secret that he would like to continue his outstanding year and potentially capture a Calendar Grand Slam.
