Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal receives treatment on his foot during his US Open semifinal match against Russian Mikhail Youzhny on September 11, 2010 in New York. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
Here’s everything you need know about Rafael Nadal’s recurring foot problem due to the Mueller Weiss syndrome
Rafael Nadal has been struggling in his professional career with a recurring foot problem for years and he is yet to find a solution to it. Let us take a deeper look at the Mueller-Weiss syndrome and how it has affected Rafael Nadal.
Muller-Weiss syndrome is a degenerative disease and represents a dysplasia of the scaphoid, a deformation of one of the bones located in the central part of the foot. Due to its symptoms it is a difficult disease to diagnose so much so that it is now part of the ‘World Day of Rare Diseases’.
It was back in 2005 that Rafael Nadal had first encountered a problem related to this disease. Back then, Nadal said – “The day after becoming champion in Madrid I felt like lame and after careful analysis they told me that I had a problem at the scaphoid. In that period many doctors did not find solutions but in the end they diagnosed me with this disease.”
During his career, Rafael Nadal has done the impossible, winning 21 Grand Slams (none like him yet) including 13 Roland Garros, rewriting entire pages of tennis history. But Rafa has had to deal with a lot of injuries throughout his glorious career. However, 17 years since it was first diagnosed, the Mueller-Weiss syndromes is still very much a part of Nadal’s career.
Nadal has had a stellar season so far in 2022. However, he has struggled with his foot even during the earlier part of this year. The Spaniard revealed that his injured foot troubled him during his 7-6, 7-6 win against Reilly Opelka at the Indian Wells Masters.
Speaking at a press-conference after the match, Nadal clarified the condition of his injured foot. “So-so. For a moment, good. Then during the second set a little bit worse, being honest. I felt my foot a little bit on the second set but I was able to keep going“, said Nadal explaining the issues he faced with his foot during the match.
The hectic schedule or the foot injury hasn’t affected Nadal’s performances though. He is presently playing at the Roland Garros in Paris, in pursuit of winning a record 22nd Grand Slam.
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