Rafael Nadal ready for French Open despite injury issues

FILE PHOTO:  Spain’s Rafael Nadal. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

Rafa Nadal has moved to ease concerns about his injury problems ahead of the French Open, posting a picture of himself training in full flow at his academy in Mallorca with the caption: “See you on Wednesday, Paris.”

The 13-time Roland Garros champion had said last week that daily training was a challenge and he would take a doctor with him to Paris after a chronic foot injury flared up during his defeat by Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open.

Nadal, 35, who only recently returned from a stress fracture in the ribs, struggled towards the end of his match against the Canadian as he went down 1-6 7-5 6-2 in the last-16.

But the world number five looks poised to launch another bid for a Grand Slam title at his favourite hunting ground, having won his 21st major at the Australian Open earlier this year.

That victory followed a difficult 2021 during which he missed Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the U.S. Open.

Nadal will be attempting to reclaim the title in Paris after he suffered a semi-final defeat last year against Novak Djokovic, only his third career loss at Roland Garros.