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INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their fourth round match during day ten of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their fourth round match during day ten of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Over the years, Rafael Nadal has had a torrid time with injuries. These problems have forced him to miss some of the biggest tournaments in his career. Take the example of the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships. The 22-time Grand Slam champion reached the semifinals of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament after a thrilling win over Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. However, before his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios, the Spaniard decided to withdraw from the tournament owing to an abdominal injury.
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On the contrary, his long-time rival, Roger Federer, has had very few injury issues during his prime years on the tour.
Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer’s immunity to injuries
In his book Rafa: My Story, Nadal talks about how Federer was born to play tennis. He said, “There was a moment in my career when I seriously wondered whether I’d be able to continue competing at the top level. I play through pain much of the time, but I think all elite sports people do.”
Further, he went on to add, “All except Federer, at any rate. I’ve had to push and mold my body to adapt it to cope with the repetitive muscular stress that tennis forces on you, but he just seems to have been born to play the game. His physique – his DNA – seems perfectly adapted to tennis, rendering him immune to the injuries the rest of us are doomed to put up with.”
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PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 07: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland embrace at the net after their men’s singles semi-final match during Day thirteen of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 07, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Talking about the uniqueness of Federer, Nadal said, “They tell me he doesn’t train as hard as I do. I don’t know if it’s true, but it would figure. You get these blessed freaks of nature in other sports, too.”
John McEnroe all praise for Nadal
Earlier this week, McEnroe had special words for Nadal. He said, “I’ve never seen anyone like [Nadal].” The Spaniard is gearing up for the US Open swing after his Wimbledon setback.
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Nadal is hoping to play in Montreal and Cincinnati before the US Open. Can Nadal make a strong comeback in the upcoming hard-court season? Let us know your views in the comments below.
Written by
Edited by
Tony Thomas