Rafael Nadal was “practically lame” before he called an early end to his season and has been “stumbling all year round”, coach Carlos Moya has revealed.
Former world number one and 20-time grand slam winner Nadal will miss the upcoming US Open, even though he hopes to return in 2022.
But Moya says there are question marks over what the best course of treatment will be for the 35-year-old’s foot problem.
In announcing his withdrawal from the rest of the campaign, Nadal declared a foot issue that he has been bothered by since 2005 was behind his decision.
The Spaniard took a break after losing a French Open semi-final to Novak Djokovic, skipping Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
He attempted to make a return for the hard-court season but lost his second match in Washington to South African Lloyd Harris.
Moya, who was also briefly a world number one, said Nadal had managed to prolong a career that was in doubt 16 years ago, thanks to insoles and treatment.
“But this year the story has changed in many training sessions,” Moya said. “He could not finish them and we had to change and ease intensity for the foot, thinking about the tournaments.
“He has been in pain for months and there comes a time when he cannot take it anymore. In the last match he played practically lame.
“The best thing was to stop, rest the foot and refresh the head.”
Speaking further, Moya said: “It is not known where this injury comes from. There is a diagnosis but it is not clear which is the best treatment.
“Rafa’s main objective is to regain sensations in his feet and in his head, because stumbling all year round has not helped him.”(dpa/NAN)
