What fountain of youth does Nadal drink from?

How to explain it just three months ago Raphael NadaHe walked with crutches and thought to stop playing tennis, to see how he bites the trophy, winning his 21st Grand Slam, in Australia, on the most unaffordable track for the Balearic tennis player?

How to explain this new resurrection, on the way to 36 years old, when he left for Melbourne, “unprepared & rdquor ;, more out of a desire to feel and compete as a tennis player, than out of the belief that he could achieve “the most unexpected victory of my life & rdquor; , as he himself admitted?

Of what youth fountain Nadal drinks, you must be wondering. Not even his environment is able to explain it. “He never ceases to impress me every day, but he is also surprised by what he does,” he said. Carlos Moya.

“The determining factor is in the head, not in the physical & rdquor ;, highlights Tony Nikshim, to explain his nephew’s triumph. “Rafael has been accustomed since childhood not to complain, to never give up and to work every day”.

“Surprised and shocked”

Very far from Melbourne, but aware of everything Nadal has experienced, she is also a coach, Francis Koningg, was “surprised and amazed. It had very few options, without filming. Just a few months ago, many days I could not even exercise due to the pain & rdquor ;, the technician remembers.

The mental part is the engine that moves Nadal, but to achieve this, the tennis player crushed his body intensely in the engine room along with Moyà, Roig, his lifelong physio. Rafa Maymó and the newly incorporated Mark Lopez, Olympic doubles champion with the Balearic tennis player in Rio de Janeiro.

“You just have to watch the videos from when he started on the track, at the age of 15, to see the change. Rafa is another player. It has nothing to do with it “, emphasizes Roig.

And that evolution that Nadal led, with a spirit of improvement, of constant, unique work, that never stopped, not even when injuries forced him to be in the dry dock for 42 months of his professional career, was fundamentally for getting all his hits and that miraculous resurrection in Australia.

damn sheepskin

Nadal was tracked down Müller Weiss syndrome with 19 years. A degenerative disease that causes chronic pain in the scaphoid that has particularly affected his knee injuries. They told him he could not play tennis, but he did not give up. He sought solutions with special insoles for his feet, then injections of growth cells to repair his damaged knees due to changing support positions, until the damned scaphoid made his life bitter again in 2021.

Nadal underwent minor surgery to repair a chronic injury, which will accompany him throughout his life. “We tried not to hurt so much & rdquor;” the tennis player explained. But the process was not easy. “I became very lame and thought I would never play tennis again. I considered withdrawing three months ago, he explained.

When the pain allowed him and he felt he could play, he wanted to test himself in Abu Dhabi. “If I break, I break,” he told his team. The test went well. He did not win matches but the pain no longer bothered him and he decided to travel to Australia. Nadal barely did preseason, but he prepared himself to face the challenge, if the body allowed it.

essential changes

Nadal appeared in Melbourne with four kilos less, “Not one gram more fat than needed”, says Roig, something fundamental not to force his feet and “have more explosiveness in court, resistance and power”, he adds.

Technically, he also worked on his serve, the usual Achilles curtain. In Australia he was able to serve at more than 210 km / h and maintain an average speed of 186 km / h with his first turn. “There’s still room for more improvement & rdquor ;, says demanding Roig.

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In the evolution of the game, Nadal worked to “attack the ball earlier and look for the volley to close the point.” He also improved the cutting back hand, Roig’s special ability when he played. “Now he does not let it float anymore, he knows how to lengthen it and lower it to the feet of the competitor, as he did with Medvedev & rdquor ;.

Nadal is another. Feels like a tennis player again. The victory in Australia has “Filled with energy”. And this is true. After thinking he would never play again, he feels strong enough to compete, for nights like the Melbourne final. He likes competition and if he is healthy he will keep fighting hard.