“I don’t know what may happen in the future, but I will keep fighting to try and keep going,” he said as the sold-out crowd of 15,000, cl...
“I don’t know what may happen in the future, but I will keep fighting to try and keep going,” he said as the sold-out crowd of 15,000, clearly aware of the speculation , yelled his approval. But there are no guarantees, as Nadal clarified later in a press conference when he explained that he had no intention of continuing to play tournaments with regular injections of painkillers or with a numb foot.
“Everyone knows how much this tournament means to me,” he said. “It was the only way to give me a chance here, right?” So I did. And I can’t be happier and I can’t thank my doctor enough for everything he has done throughout my tennis career, helping me through every difficult moment. But it is obvious that I cannot continue to compete with the sleeping foot.
Seeking a longer-term solution, Nadal said he will undergo a procedure later this week known as radiofrequency ablation, in which radio waves will be sent through a hollow needle inserted into the nerves in his left foot that cause his constant pain. . If the procedure works, which is far from certain, the heat from the radio waves could block the nerves from sending pain signals to Nadal’s brain.
“If it works, I will continue; If it doesn’t work, that’ll be another story,” said Nadal, who ruled out taking any more painkiller injections to play at Wimbledon, which starts in three weeks.
Nadal said if the treatment was ineffective, he would have to ask tough questions about his future in the game and whether he wanted to risk foot surgery, which he was told could impact his mobility.” to be competitive again” and could “take”. a long time” to recover.
“So let’s take it step by step, like I’ve done my entire tennis career,” he said of the decision-making process, refusing to rule out playing at Wimbledon.
He certainly looked set for more tennis against Ruud, gaining speed and precision as the match progressed. Nadal wasn’t at his best early on and was far from his best form at times, losing serve in game three with two double faults and an unforced forehand error in the middle of the net. But Ruud also struggled to find his way, looking pissed off and limited on crucial points in the first set, then getting outplayed on crucial points in the later stages after working on his nerves.
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