Rafael Nadal has won an incredible 22 Grand Slams, but did you know he has missed 16 majors since turning professional because of injury and health issues?
The tennis community is waiting with bated breath to find out if the former world No 1 will be fit for the 2024 French Open as he is still struggling with the thigh injury that kept him out of this year’s Australian Open.
There is added emotion as Nadal has previously indicated that he will retire at the end of this season so his appearance at Roland Garros will likely be his farewell.
The 14-time champion had already missed his title defence last year due to – you guessed it – injury, which only added to his long list of woes since he turned professional in 2001.
A list of Rafael Nadal’s injuries:
2003 – Elbow
The 17-year-old Nadal was due to make his Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2003 French Open, but he was forced to withdraw after he injured his left elbow when he fell during training in Manacor.
2004 – Stress fracture in ankle
After making his major debut at Wimbledon in 2003, Nadal also featured at the US Open that year and the 2004 Australian Open but then the injury curse struck again ahead of Roland Garros.
The 14-time champion had already missed his title defence last year due to – you guessed it – injury, which only added to his long list of woes since he turned professional in 2001.
A list of Rafael Nadal’s injuries:
2003 – Elbow
The 17-year-old Nadal was due to make his Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2003 French Open, but he was forced to withdraw after he injured his left elbow when he fell during training in Manacor.
2004 – Stress fracture in ankle
After making his major debut at Wimbledon in 2003, Nadal also featured at the US Open that year and the 2004 Australian Open but then the injury curse struck again ahead of Roland Garros.
This time a stress fracture in his left ankle resulted in him missing Roland Garros for a second consecutive year while he was also forced to miss Wimbledon and the 2004 Athens Olympics.
READ MORE: The 3 men to beat Rafael Nadal in consecutive clay court matches
2006 – Foot injury
Nadal missed the backend of the 2005 tennis season due to an injury on the sole of his left foot and that also kept him out of the 2006 Australian Open. He was able to return to action in February that year, but also struggled with a shoulder problem and shinbone injury later on in the year, although he didn’t miss too many events.
2007 – Gluteus/knee/forearm/
Although he played in all four Grand Slams, he struggled with an injury in the left gluteus at the Australian Open and was also troubled by his knee at Wimbledon.
After a shock early exit from the Cincinnati Open, he revealed that he struggled with a left forearm problem, saying: “I wasn’t grasping the racket very well. I didn’t feel anything when I was touching the racket.”
He took a month-long break after the US Open.
2009 – Tendonitis of the knee/right thigh/abdomen
Nadal’s knee started troubling him at the 2008 Paris Masters and aggravated it at the Rotterdam Open in 2009. After losing in the fourth round at Roland Garros against Robin Soderling, he confirmed that the problem was a lot more serious than initially thought.
“I have been playing with pain on my knees for some months now and I simply can’t go on like this,” he said. “The pain was limiting certain movements in my body, which affected me mentally as well.”
He was unable to defend his Wimbledon title as he withdrew due to tendinitis in both of his knees.
Although he played at the US Open that year, he struggled with an abdominal micro rupture and missed the Davis Cup final against Argentina due to his knee problem.
2010 – Knee
A quadriceps tendon tear in his right knee forced him to retire from his quarter-final clash against Andy Murray at the Australian Open
But the year was a major success as he went on to win the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.