The greatest rival in the sports career of Rafael Nadal it has not been Roger Federer, with whom he exhibits a clear favorable balance of 24-16. Either Novak Djokovic, with whom he has a face to face against, although adjusted: 28-30. The biggest rival has the name of a forward of the Bayern or athlete of the RDA: is named Müller-Weiss. This is how the evil that tortures Nadal since he was 18 years old and that has forced him to stop this season. The disease, congenital and chronic, is an anomaly in the development of the tarsal scaphoid, a fundamental bone in the footprint. As explained by the doctor Jose Gonzalez on ACE, this syndrome does not have surgical intervention. So far he has been able to face him thanks to shoes and corrective insoles. Also to his ability to resist pain. The main problem for Rafa is that this disorder is degenerative, worsens with age and, in your case, it is very likely that it has been accelerated with physical effort. The only solution now points to a conservative therapy, to a long rest. A word that is the antithesis of sport.
Müller-Weiss He has been the great rival, because the pain has not been limited to the foot. Now that the details are out, his injury history makes sense. The modification of its support points has affected other joints, especially the knees and ankles, constant problems in its trajectory. If we add up all the periods of low Rafa, inactivity is approaching four years. An atrocity. And of them, the majority is due to this syndrome and its collateral consequences. Tennis has a highly demanding schedule. Federer and Thiem They have also just announced that they are closing the 2021 campaign. Other champions such as Murray and Del Potro They have been looking for an impossible return for a long time. Given what has been seen, Nadal has endured enough. And it has come a long way.