Rafael Nadal underwent new treatment on his foot on Tuesday with the possibility of a second procedure being conducted next week.
Just two days after winning a record 14th French Open title the Spaniard travelled to Barcelona for further medical help as he faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon. Nadal recently confirmed that during his time in Paris, he received injections in order to deaden the nerve in his foot which meant he was unable to feel it.
The 36-year-old suffered from Müller-Weiss syndrome which is a chronic foot condition where the navicular bone (located in the mid-foot region) undergoes spontaneous osteonecrosis. This causes blood to be cut off from the navicular bone, subsequently causing pain and deformity in the mid-foot and hindfoot regions. He was first diagnosed with the condition in 2005.
Providing an update on Nadal’s current health, a spokesman confirmed that he has undergone pulsed radiofrequency stimulation. A minimally invasive procedure which involves adjusting the way in which the nerve tissue functions in order to reduce or stop pain in the affected area. Nadal will temporarily feel numbness in the area shortly after the treatment.
“Rafa is already at home and will spend three or four days doing normal, maintaining, physical activity. Depending on the effect of the treatment, and as long as it’s positive, he will later return to training on the court,” a spokesman told the AFP news agency.
“We don’t rule out a second treatment being carried out in the next week.”
The hope for Nadal is that he will be ready in time for the Wimbledon Championships which will start in less than three weeks. He has already stated that he will not play in the tournament if it means further injections. Although he is willing to take regauar anti-inflammatory medicine in order to play.
“I‘m going to be in Wimbledon if my body is ready to be in Wimbledon. That’s it. Wimbledon is not a tournament that I want to miss. I think nobody wants to miss Wimbledon. I love Wimbledon,” Nadal told reporters on Sunday.
“If I am able to play with anti-inflammatories, yes; to play with anesthetic injections, no. I don’t want to put myself in that position again.”
Despite his physical issues, Nadal has still managed to achieve a win-loss record of 30-3 so far this season with his only losses being to Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz and Denis Shapovalov. It is the first time he has won both the Australian Open and French Open within the same year. Furthermore, Nadal also won ATP titles in Melbourne and Acapulco.
The Wimbledon Championships will begin on June 27th.
