Rafael Nadal, the legendary Spanish tennis player, has revealed that his extensive use of anti-inflammatory medication throughout his career has led to two perforations in his intestines. The 39-year-old, who holds a record 14 French Open men's singles titles, admitted that he argued with his physio over the issue but insisted that his career would have been "completely different" had he chosen a different path.
Nadal's Health Revelation
In an interview with Marca, Nadal discussed the risks he took, particularly at the Indian Wells Open in 2012. "There was a time when I was living with constant pain. And there were many days when I had arguments with my physio about whether I should take anti-inflammatories or not," he said. "He had them; I would ask him for them, and he would give them to me. He was the one in charge. And then one day I said, well, when you say there's a line between what's right and wrong, well, now I'm the one who decides when to take anti-inflammatories, when not to take them, how many I take or how many I don't take."
Nadal continued: "And they hardly even noticed. Simply because, of course, I found it uncomfortable having to ask all day long when I knew the other person didn't agree with it. But as far as I'm concerned, it was either that or I wouldn't have played tennis at all. So when I say there's a line between what's right and wrong, it's because, ultimately, I know it's harmful to my body. In fact, as I said, I have two perforations in my intestines from taking so many anti-inflammatories. But if it hadn't been for that, my career would have been completely different."
Impact on His Career
Nadal suggested in his documentary that he would have "twelve fewer grand slams" had he not taken this high-risk approach. He won the men's doubles title at Indian Wells in 2012 alongside Marc Lopez before going on to win multiple grand slam singles titles, mostly at the French Open, where he claimed his last title in 2022. He retired two years later with 22 grand slam titles, overcoming various injury setbacks throughout his career.
Related News
Last year's French Open was the first since Nadal's retirement, but it still produced a Spanish champion, with Carlos Alcaraz winning after a thrilling final against Jannik Sinner. However, Alcaraz will not defend his title at Roland Garros this year, having confirmed in April that a wrist injury would rule him out for the remainder of the clay court season. On Thursday, the 23-year-old also announced he would miss Wimbledon this summer, stating on social media: "My recovery is going well and I'm feeling much better, but unfortunately I'm still not ready to compete, which is why I have to withdraw from the grass-court swing at Queen's and Wimbledon. They are two truly special tournaments for me and I will miss them a lot. We'll keep working to come back as soon as possible."
