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Rafael Nadal has spent his entire tennis career dealing with injuries to the point where he has played through pain on multiple occasions. The 37-year-old became one of the most successful players in the history of the game despite the number of physical issues he has had to overcome.<\/p>\n
On numerous occasions, injuries have forced him to pull out of tournaments midway or they have caused the Spaniard to miss events altogether. Back in 2021, when the 22-time Grand Slam champion missed four months of action due to a foot injury, he said consistently played with discomfort, but tried his very best to embrace the pain.<\/p>\n
“I no longer know what it is to play without pain,\u201d Nadal said. “I take anti-inflammatories every day but this is the beauty of this sport after all.\u201d As Nadal continues to get older, the injuries have not relented. He has been out of action since January with a hip injury, which he had surgery to repair in June.<\/p>\n
His 2021 comments summarise his competitive drive and determination, as he does his level best to return to full fitness. For the past several months the former World No. 1 has regularly uploaded posts to social media of him working in the gym or busy on the practice courts.<\/p>\n
Follow us on X<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0for the best and latest in sports news<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n He most recently practiced with 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Arthur Fils at his Rafael Nadal Academy in Kuwait. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be here in Kuwait to train for a few days. Everyone has been so welcoming. Thank you for everything,\u201d he wrote on his official social media accounts.<\/p>\n The 14-time French Open is preparing to make his long-awaited comeback to the tour at the Brisbane International in Australia during the first week of January. Earlier in December he elaborated on his comeback and urged fans to be cautious about his return for what is likely to be his final season.<\/p>\n \u201cI still think what I said in the last press conference, that I do not deserve to end my sports career in a press room,\u201d he said. \u201cI would like to finish in a different way, and I have fought and kept the illusion for that to happen, with doubts, with bad moments, very bad or better moments.\u201d<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> ![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/5113716.jpg?r=1702726614303\")
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