Battling ‘Chronic’ Foot Injury, Rafael Nadal Plans To ‘Have My Doctor With Me’ At Roland Garros

If Rafael Nadal is going to win his 14th Roland Garros title in a few weeks, it may take a minor miracle.

And some help from a doctor.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion is dealing with a “chronic” foot problem that re-emerged during his 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 loss to Canadian Denis Shapovalov Thursday in Rome, and he said he plans to have his doctor with him for Roland Garros beginning May 22.

“It’s the time to accept the situation and fight,” he said in his post-match press conference. “That’s it… I don’t know if rest, I don’t know if maybe practice. But I still have a goal in one week and a couple of days. I’m going to keep dreaming about that goal.

“First thing that I need to do is to don’t have pain to practice, that’s it… It’s true that during the French Open, Roland Garros, I’m going to have my doctor there with me. That sometimes helps because you can do things.

“In the positive days and in the negative days, you need to stay and to value all the things that happened to me in a positive way. Then days like today, just accept and try to keep going even if sometimes it’s not easy for me.”

A 10-time champion in Rome, Nadal was playing just his second tournament since sustaining a rib injury in March during Indian Wells. Last week he fell in three sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Madrid quarterfinals.

The 36-time Masters 1000 champion will enter Roland Garros having failed to at least reach a Masters 1000 final for the first time since 2004. He also will drop to No. 5 in the world, meaning he could face world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals in Paris. Djokovic, who routed three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka in straight sets Thursday, beat Nadal in an epic semifinal last year en route to the title.

Nadal began the year by winning three consecutive titles, including a record-breaking 21st major at the Australian Open.

If Nadal wins the French, he would move two majors ahead of Djokovic, but that seems a questionable proposition at this point.

“I had my foot again with a lot of pain,” Nadal said. “I am a player living with an injury; it is nothing new. It’s something that is there.

“Unfortunately my day-by-day is difficult, honestly… it’s difficult for me to accept the situation sometimes. Today at half the second set, it starts and then it wasn’t playable for me… I don’t want to take away anything from Denis… Today is for him. Well done for him.”

With Roland Garros beginning in 10 days, Nadal was asked whether his foot would allow him to mount a serious bid for a record-extending 14th French Open title.

“What can happen in the next couple of days, I don’t know. What can happen in one week, I really don’t know now,” he said.

He added: “I take many painkillers because otherwise I would not be able to practice or compete. This pain knocks the happiness out of you.”