Despite bagging 21 Grand Slam titles in his tennis career, Rafael Nadal suffers from Muller-Weiss Syndrome, a condition affecting his foot that his uncle Toni Nadal speaks about.
In 2021, a foot injury – resulting from the condition – kept the Spaniard off the court for the last quarter of the season. It was a big surprise after sailing to the Australian Open finals and added another Grand Slam.
Nadal hadn’t played in five months but rebounded like the star he is.
Toni recently spoke about his nephew’s degenerative condition, which has plagued him throughout his professional career.
He said that the 35-year-old will have to undergo surgery to correct the condition but will lock him out on playing at the highest level.
Speaking to journalists in Majorca, Toni said: “The specialist who saw him in 2005 told us that it would be very difficult for him to do sport at the highest level.
“But Rafael has been defying that in the best possible way because he has been able to face up to a difficult situation.
“He looked like he was going to have a short career, but everything has turned out much better than we expected.”
Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni Nadal. Photo/Marca
WHAT IS MULLER WEISS SYNDROME?
In spite of the fact that Mueller Weiss Syndrome is a rare and under-diagnosed cause of chronic midfoot pain, its imaging characteristics are well-described.
According to medical literature, it is characterized as spontaneous adult-onset osteonecrosis of the navicular bone.
Women in their fifth decade of life are more susceptible to the condition, which affects both navicular bones on either side of the body.
The specific etiopathogenesis of this disease, nearly a century after it was originally described as a clinical entity, is still not completely understood.
According to radiographic principles, weight-bearing radiographs of the foot continue to be the gold standard for diagnosis.
The lateral collapse of the navicular, dorsomedial subluxation of the residual navicular, and lateral deviation of the talus are some of the imaging findings that are characteristic of this condition (hind-foot varus).
Pes planus and secondary osteoarthritis of the talonavicular joint develop as a result of the progression of the disease, which may or may not involve the involvement of other midfoot joints.
The presence of “listhesis navicularis” and talo-cuneiform neo-articulation are signs of severe illness.
Why Did Rafael Nadal Consider Retiring From Tennis?
Nadal in January 2022 admitted that he contemplated quitting tennis in 2021.
He says he had discussions on this with members of his staff and family during the worst days of his six-month injury hiatus in 2021.
According to The Guardian, the foot injury drained his hope in tennis all Nadal saw was dark days and impossibilities.
Recurrence of a long-standing foot issue that Nadal has had since childhood made him withdraw from the tour.
It was for the better half of 2021 – after losing the French Open in June. In August, he entered the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., with the intention of competing, but he withdrew shortly thereafter.
He says that he couldn’t practice for a long period. Sometimes he was able to practice for 20 minutes, sometimes 45 minutes. Other times, he couldn’t practice for over two hours.
Rafael Nadal foot. Photo/ REUTERS/Jason Lee
Before then, he got to a point where he discussed his plan to retire with his family and team members.
“A lot of conversations with the team, with the family about what can happen or what’s going to happen if the things continue like this, thinking that maybe is a chance to say goodbye,” he says.
Imagining that he would play at the best-of-five level of the Australian Open 2022 was a mirage.
How Did Rafael Nadal Make A COMEBACK Despite A Foot Injury?
However, Nadal battled it up and sent signs he would play in Melbourne after playing Andy Murray in Abu Dhabi in December.
He played in Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Tournament organisers released Nadal’s footage preparing for his comeback match and his fans couldn’t keep calm.
In November 2021, he expressed optimism in playing in Abu Dhabi but added that his injury was yet to heal completely.
Even now, he adds that the injury will live with him until he hangs his tennis boots.
“The doubts are going to be here probably for the rest of my career, without a doubt, because I have what I have and that’s something that we cannot fix. But for me it’s amazing, and I’m super happy to be able to compete for the last three weeks at the level that I am doing.”
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