Rafael Nadal shares toughest moment of career – ‘I was told I wouldn’t play’

Rafael Nadal has recalled the moment he was told that he wouldn’t play tennis again, after being diagnosed with a foot issue that would could have retired him from the sport. Despite being told he would need to hang up his racket at 19 years old, the Spaniard defied all odds by moving past this incident in 2005 and winning 22 Grand Slams across his career spanning over 20 years.

Speaking at the UAX Rafa Nadal School of Sport in Madrid, he looked back on the glittering career that he gave up in 2024 – and how it could have been very different if he had taken one doctor’s advice. In 2005, Nadal was diagnosed with Muller-Weiss Syndrome in his left foot, a condition that caused the fracture of his scaphoid bone. The 38-year-old noted that “several doctors” told him he wouldn’t play tennis again due to this issue, meaning that he would have missed out on the majority of his major tournament wins.

But after plenty of work behind the scenes, a solution was found. Nadal said: “There was no way out; several doctors told me I wouldn’t play again.”

“I was 19… but eventually, a solution was found. Shifting the support point with a seven millimetre insole and special shoe worked… it fixed the foot, but everything else got messed up and disorganised my whole body.”

Thanks to this workaround, Nadal could continue playing tennis and had an unbelievable career alongside other icons of the sport – including Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and the all-time Grand Slam title leader, Novak Djokovic.

Across his career that lasted 23 years, Nadal won 92 ATP Tour singles titles, including 22 major trophies. He is the record-holder for the most French Open titles with 14, and is one of three men to complete the career Gold Slam in singles.

In the majors, the Spaniard has won two Australian Opens, 14 French Opens, two Wimbledon titles and four US Open trophies. He was ranked as the world number one in men’s tennis for 209 weeks in total, and also won an Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008.

But when it comes to retirement, Nadal is happy to enjoy his peace and quiet. He said: “When you retire, the body takes a break, but I already feel more centred. Retirement hasn’t affected me badly; I’ve tolerated it well.”