FEAT DONE, ON TO FEET NOW

Nadal Seeks 'Long-Term' Relief To Fix His Injuries

-  Prajwal Hegde

Paris: Rafael Nadal's predicament in a nutshell - the spirit is willing, but the feet are protesting.

The Spaniard - owner of 14 French Open crowns and 22 Grand Slam titles - suffers from Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative condition that affects bones in the feet. The 36-year-old has needed injections (nerve blocks) on his left foot, two shots before each of his seven matches, along with anti-inflammatories to keep him running this past fortnight at Roland Garros where he extended his record of records.

Nadal, who is halfway to a calendar Slam, having won the Australian and French Opens in the same year for the first time in his career, will pay a visit to his doctor-looking for 'longterm' relief for his left foot.

"I have been playing with injections on the nerves to sleep the foot, that's why I was able to play during these two weeks," the world No.4 said of the nerve blocks that helped him compete this fortnight after he hobbled out of the draw in Rome. Nadal was fortunate to get away with numbing the pain on his foot as the option raised the possibility of a more serious injury.