Australian Open: Rafael Nadal admits doubting ‘every single day’ he would return from injury hell
- The 20-time major winner opens up on his injury nightmare after battling into fourth round of the Australian Open
- ‘I don’t know what can happen in the future but I’m enjoying it,’ Nadal says, with his left foot feeling more ‘comfortable’
Rafael has revealed he doubted “every single day” he would return to tennis during his injury nightmare last season.
The 20-time grand slam winner kept his bid for a second Australian Open title on track with a battling 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Russia’s Karen Khachanov on Friday.
The Spaniard is unbeaten in Melbourne this month, having returned to action by winning the Summer Set 1 warm-up tournament.
But he admitted after his third round win on Rod Laver Arena that things could have been a lot different.
“For a lot of months, sometimes I went on court, I tried every morning but sometimes I was not able to practise more than 20 minutes, other days 45, some for two hours,” Nadal told Eurosport.
“But it has been very difficult to predict every single day. I was working with the doctor trying to find a solution. I tried different things but it’s tough.”