Rafael Nadal triumphs again, but his career hangs by a thread

At Roland Garros,

This is the 14th coronation, but this one is unlike any other. Because he had his left foot in the bag, because he was pushed into the 5th set for only the third time in 114 games at Roland-Garros, and because he had to deal with his biggest rival, who pushed him out last year, in the quarter-finals. But Porte d’Auteuil, Rafael Nadal is unsinkable. He drinks down adversity before putting the bottle back neatly behind the other, diagonally in front of his chair. The Spaniard wrote his legend a little more this Sunday, scattering Casper Ruud in the final (6-3, 6-3, 6-0). He holds his 22nd Grand Slam title, now two lengths ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Maybe his last. Maybe not.

Nadal himself was confused, on the microphone, minutes after receiving the Musketeers Cup from Bille Jean King. “It’s hard to describe all the emotions I’m feeling right now,” he told the cheering crowd on center court. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but in any case I will continue to fight. The Spaniard, who has nevertheless experienced many physical difficulties, suffered as never before in his career during this fortnight, because of his now famous necrosis of the navicular bone (on the kick). Until inflicting a horse treatment to be able to continue to play. Because on returning to the hotel after his second round against Coco Moutet, the bull from Manacor could no longer put his paw on the ground.

The rest, it is he who tells it: “I had to make injections at the level of the nerves to cut the pain. I was able to play thanks to that, but I no longer had any feeling in my foot, he explained at a press conference. It’s a risk, of course, of having other problems, like spraining your ankle. But Roland-Garros is Roland-Garros, everyone knows how important this tournament is, and I wanted to continue. It was the only way I could play, I did it, and I couldn’t be happier today. »

Never again

Statements that raise a host of questions. Already, how is it possible to play tennis, AT THIS LEVEL, on one foot? How to position yourself to hit, regain your support, run towards the net, feeling absolutely nothing in your left foot? It seems impossible to anyone who has ever set foot on a court. Next, on the treatment itself. The Spaniard did not wish to specify whether he had benefited from a TUE, this authorization for use for therapeutic purposes which allows injured athletes to use prohibited products or substances under certain conditions (corticosteroids for example) . He simply mentioned anesthetic products, and “several injections before each match”. By the way, we had fallen on Djokovic for less than that after his abdominal tear, during the Australian Open last year.

What about next, then? The question obviously came up during the conference. During the fortnight, speculation went well. Some imagined that he would bow out on this 14th title obtained in his kingdom. Too many pains that spoil his life, as he himself had admitted in Rome. But in the Chatrier basement, the world number 5 has not closed any doors. One thing is certain, he never wants to “play in a tournament with his foot asleep” again.

Surgery as a last resort, but…

So we will have to find a solution to reduce the pain in the long term, but without hitting the nerves daily. Next week will be crucial, in fact. The Spaniard will try a “special treatment”, by radio frequency, to “cut the pain in the two nerves while keeping sensations on the foot”, he explained. How ? By burning those nerves, yes yes. The effectiveness of this therapy will depend on the rest of Rafael Nadal’s career. This is how he sees things. Without tremolo in the voice.

“If it works, I will continue. If not, that will be another story. I will ask myself the question of whether I am ready to do major surgery, without being certain of the result, without being certain that I will be competitive again. We will move forward step by step, as always. I stay positive. »

Be careful, surgery is still only an option, even if its treatment was insufficient. But it is hard to imagine him continuing to suffer martyrdom and thus putting his body in danger at 36, after all the victories that have been his.

The question was asked to him, moreover, to know if he had set a limit not to cross so as not to limp all his life and spoil his post-career. Because that’s what we’re talking about. “It’s very clear, life is always more important than another title,” he said. What drives me forward is not winning more Grand Slams than others, but my passion for the game, living the moments that will stay with me forever. If I don’t feel competitive anymore, I won’t be able to have fun. The goal is to give me the opportunity to continue doing what I love. »

Rafael Nadal therefore finds himself, this Sunday evening, in a mysterious in-between. Not retired, but maybe not so far. Nobody knows. His fans, and there are many of them, left to place a candle where they could.