Rafa Nadal: "I have managed to focus on tennis and put my problems aside"

MADRID, 7 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal celebrated this Monday that during his time at Roland Garros he managed to focus "on tennis" and "put aside" all the problems caused by a foot injury, which is now going to be treated in search of finding a solution that allows him to even be at Wimbledon.

"When you are focused on something that really motivates you more than it can hurt you, it makes the end justify everything else and you know that to have options there is no other way than to do that. I have managed to focus on tennis, put a aside these problems and mentally focused on what I had to do," Nadal stressed in an interview with 'El Partidazo' on the COPE network.

The Balearic made it clear that despite the pain he will continue playing "as long as" he continues to be "happy". "When the pain doesn't let me be happy, then it's time to think about other things. For people who live with permanent pain, who don't talk about me, it's difficult to be completely happy," he said.

The winner of 22 'Grand Slams' acknowledged that a day later "it was going to be complicated in terms of pain." "They add that after two weeks sleeping my foot every game and with many anti-inflammatories and analgesics, there are moments that hurt more and moments that less. Now the two weeks have passed and I can't continue taking everything I was taking to give rest to the body and it is an important rebound effect," he admitted.

In this sense, he confessed that the day he had the most pain was after "the second round" and that he was the one who made the decisions. "What my environment normally does is help me as much as possible and if they have another point of view, I listen, because throughout my life I have listened a lot, but someone has to make the decisions and in most cases it is me because The one who has to be right or wrong is me," Nadal clarified.

The Spanish tennis player said "totally from the heart" when before playing the quarterfinals against Novak Djokovic that it could be his last match at Roland Garros. "That's how I felt, I came with very little training and little preparation, and Novak had just won in Rome, made the semifinals in Madrid and had reached the quarterfinals without losing a set. I know what my day to day is with my foot and it's This may be my last Roland Garros, I hope not," he admitted.

"I understand and appreciate the support and affection and all the nice things that have been said about me. I am the first one I would like to continue and I will continue doing everything possible to make it so. I don't want him to retire either, according to who because I also like to see the players you admire", added the Spaniard.

Now, he will carry out a treatment on the nerves of his foot with pulsed radiofrequency that will cause "a similar effect" to the one he has experienced in Paris when he has played with the dormant nerves. "If this works, my dream would be to continue immediately towards the grass and if it doesn't work, it would be another more complicated approach," she pointed out.

For the man from Manacor, it is "something unexpected" that he has lengthened his career so much. "No one thought that I could have such a long career, me the first. When I was 25 years old I thought that if I reached 28 it would be a success and in the end I have always maintained the illusion and here we are", he remarked.

Nadal believes that "some days" he played tennis "well". "My best match was Novak's day and the fifth set against Felix (Auger-Aliassime) was good. In the final my tennis was quite correct," said the former world number one, who did not hide that the support received by the public at Roland Garros has been "more special" than other years.

Finally, when asked if the appearance of Carlos Alcaraz had advanced his possible end a little in public opinion, it was clear. "I am also the first to have doubts about myself. The arrival of Carlos is fantastic for our sport and Spanish sport. I know that you live for the moment and in some way there is a need for something new and a new face, and that above is incredibly good, but I do not feel offended", sentenced.