Novak Djokovic sends frank injury message to rival Rafa Nadal after French Open heartbreak | Tennis | Sport
Ahead of a 59th meeting with Djokovic, Nadal admitted it could be the “last match here in Roland Garros, in my tennis career.” The world No 5 has been dealing with a chronic foot injury since he was 19 that has appeared to worsen – seeing him miss the second half of the 2021 season before plaguing him again recently in Rome, where he limped off the court and doubted whether he’d recover in time for the French Open.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion has been joined by his doctor in Paris to manage the issue and appeared at his best against his long-time rival on Tuesday night, ousting the reigning champion 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in a four-hour-and-12-minute marathon. And Djokovic has now slammed the idea that Nadal has been injured as he admitted he was “not surprised” to see the Spaniard back to 100 per cent.
“I didn’t see any problems,” he said of the 13-time champion’s physical state during the match. And the world No 1 threw in a salty remark as he added: “I am not surprised, it’s not the first time that he is injured and comes back pretty soon at 100 per cent.”
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Having cast doubt on his future after the conclusion of the French Open, he continued: “I have what I have there in the foot, so if we are not able to find an improvement or a small solution on that, then it’s becoming super difficult for me. So that’s it.
“I am just enjoying every day that I have the chance to be here and without thinking much about what can happen in the future. Of course I’m gonna keep fighting to find a solution for that, but for the moment we haven’t. So just [giving] myself a chance to play another semi-final here in Roland Garros is a lot of energy for me.”
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