Arguably the greatest clay-court player of all time, Rafael Nadal is all set to compete at the French this year. After losing in the round of 16 at the Italian Open against Denis Shapovalov, the Spaniard looked in discomfort. Later, he revealed that he had sustained an injury to his foot. Notably, this foot injury has been bothering him since last year, as he had to go through surgery because of that. Despite all the injury concerns, Nadal doesn’t want to miss his favorite Grand Slam tournament. Recently, he took part in Paris for the first time, and the crowd gave him a nice round of applause. 

Rafael Nadal practiced in Paris for the first time with almost the full crowd in attendance  

The craze of Rafael Nadal is massive in Paris, as he’s the most decorated French Open champion in the history of tennis. Incredibly, the Spaniard won 21 Major titles in his career and 13 of those came at the French Open. In the history of the sport, it is the most titles any player has won in a single Grand Slam tournament.

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Yesterday, Rafa walked onto the Philippe Chatrier Stadium (undoubtedly his favorite court) for the very first time. As he entered the court, the crowd erupted with chants of ‘Rafa, Rafa’ and gave him a nice ovation. Although it was just a practice session for Nadal, the stadium was almost full. 

Can Nadal overcome his injury concerns and win the French Open in 2022?

Although Nadal has started practicing in Paris to prepare for the French Open, he will have some concerns about his fitness. A few days ago, he talked about his continuous struggles with a foot injury that sidelined him after the French Open last year. Despite the surgery, it seems like the pain is still bothering him. Earlier, he talked about having a doctor with him at the French Open to monitor his condition throughout the tournament.

In the past, Nadal proved everyone wrong by playing his best tennis when everyone counted him out. And its happening this time too because everyone is picking either Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz to win. However, many fans still believe in Nadal’s ability, especially on the red soil. 

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