Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal reveals he was not injured during qualifying against Canadian Denis Shapovalov at the Masters 1,000 in Rome this Thursday, but chronic injury to his left foot gave him trouble, awaits “the next few days” in a difficult time before Roland Garros. “Towards the middle of the second set, I felt a lot of pain in my foot. I do not have an injury, I am an injured player. I do not want to take anything from Shapovalov, he played well. Today his reputation goes to him, but it was impossible for me to play,” he said.

The 10-time champion in Rome spoke to the media as soon as he fell into the round of 16, as happened after the same round against David Goffin at the Mutua Madrid Open last week. “We’ll see how it goes in the next few days, the next few weeks. It’s not an easy time for me,” the Spaniard added.

Nadal recalled the chronic injury to his left foot he had mentioned earlier in Madrid, and this seems to be putting his condition more and more strained. The Manacor man has resurfaced in the capital after a six-week hiatus due to a broken rib, and in a quick setup, he set a goal of getting the best version for Roland Garros. “I play because it makes me happy, but the pain takes that happiness away. I live on too many painkillers to train every day and you can’t go on like this for long. I’ll be in great shape, I hope I can get on the field.”