Berlin – Spain’s tennis star Rafael Nadal is likely to be at the grass court classic at Wimbledon despite his foot problems.
“Yes, he will play at Wimbledon,” said his uncle Toni Nadal on the sidelines of the ATP tournament in Stuttgart. He added that his nephew would begin preparation training for the third Grand Slam tournament of the year on Monday in his native Mallorca on the sidelines of the Mallorca Open. “I’m sure if he has a small opportunity, he will play at Wimbledon,” Toni Nadal, 61, added. The 36-year-old Nadal had earlier won the Australian and French Opens.
Just two days after his 14th victory at the French Open, Nadal had undergone pulsed radio frequency therapy in Barcelona for chronic pain in his left foot. The affected foot nerves were anaesthetised with this treatment and could no longer transmit the pain stimulus to the brain, it was said. Immediately after the treatment, his nephew had said that everything hurt him. “I spoke to him again yesterday. At the moment it is much better, he is very happy,” Toni Nadal said. A second round of therapy has not been ruled out.
The record Grand Slam winner had had injections for the ailment before each of his seven matches in Paris. He also revealed that he had taken anti-inflammatory drugs throughout the tournament in the Bois de Boulogne. But that could not be a permanent solution, he stressed. At the tournament in Wimbledon from 27 June to 10 July, Nadal definitely does not want to repeat the procedure in Paris.
Toni Nadal does not fear any late effects. “Later is not a problem, it is only currently the problem to play,” said the 61-year-old. “If he does an operation, everything would be gone. But if he does it, he won’t be able to play at a high level. That’s why he doesn’t want to do it. Surgery would not be an issue otherwise. “