Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal Quarter-Final 2022
Breathtaking tennis. The epitome of the fighting spirit between two tennis super stars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Rafael Nadal demonstrated once again why he is the greatest player in French Open history.
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Some Stats
- The two have faced each other 59 times, including in all four major finals, with Djokovic leading 30–29. Djokovic leads 15–13 in finals overall, while Nadal leads 11–7 in matches at majors.
- Nadal has more mainstream popularity than Djokovic, but less than Federer, and better statistics than Federer but not as good as Djokovic. After winning the Australian Open Rafael has forged ahead of his rivals in the race to win most majors, and that alone adds considerable weight to his case.
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Rafael Nadal Foot Injury
In the Rome Masters, traditionally used as a warm-up to the French Open in May/June, Nadal slumped to a Round of 16 defeat to Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 5-7, 2-6. Despite taking the opening set, the great Spaniard suffered a flare-up of the injury which has plagued him for the majority of his career.
Indeed, Nadal was forced to take six months out last year due to the problem in his foot – returning to win a mammoth clash against Danill Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final to eclipse Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and move to 21 titles.
It was during the 2005 Madrid Masters when the first signs of a foot injury showed themselves to Rafael Nadal. After tests on his left foot, Nadal was eventually diagnosed with Mueller-Weiss Syndrome – something he has been managing ever since.
Rafael Nadal’s foot injury can cause chronic pain, with Mueller-Weiss Syndrome affecting the Navicular bone. One of the most crucial bones in the human foot, it helps with the biomechanics and how the extremity moves.
For Tennis players such as Nadal, the navicular bone is essential in helping them move about the court. Essentially, the syndrome wears the outside of the bone away – with trauma and excessive force over time two key factors. For Nadal, repeated stress and nearly 20 years at the top level of Tennis has led to the injury getting worse.
