By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday May 18, 2022
For the first time since arriving in Paris on Wednesday, Rafael Nadal spoke to the media and gave an update on his injured left foot.
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Nadal has held multiple practice sessions over the last few days, and says he feels much better about his foot.
“What happened in Rome is something that happened very often in my practices, no?” he said on Friday in his pre-tournament press conference. “But yeah, I was, yeah, suffering after that for a couple of days, but I feel better, no? That's why I'm here.”
The 13-time champion will make his 18th appearance on the terre battue in Paris. He said he doesn’t want to dwell on the status of his foot, but he did hint that he has hope that he will be able to mount a successful push at his favorite Grand Slam.
“It's not about [if the pain is] gonna disappear now,” he said. “It's about if the pain is high and strong enough to allow me to play with real chances or not.
“In my case, is something that I live every day with, so is nothing new for me and is not a big surprise. So I am here just to play tennis and to try to make the best result possible here in Roland Garros, no? And if I don't believe that this thing can happen, probably I will not be here. So I am just working as much as I can, and practicing as good as possible. My real goal is just put me in a position that I am healthy and playing enough good tennis to give myself good chances.”
Nadal will face Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the first round in Paris. He sounded hopeful on Friday that he can produce a stunning surprise in the same fashion that he did in Australia earlier this year, when he entered with low expectations and finished by winning his record 21st major title.
“In the sport, things can change quick, and only thing that I can do is try to be ready if that change happens,” he said. “No, today looks difficult and looks that there are players that are in better shape than me, without a doubt, and is true today, but you never know what can happen in the next couple of days.
“Same happened in Australia, and I put myself in a position to have a chance. And here is no different. In the case that that can happen, yes, difficult, yes too, but only thing I have to do is believe in my chances, believe in my daily work, and then stay positive and believe in my real chances.”