Rafael Nadal had one of the greatest tennis careers the game has ever seen. He also spent nearly all of it in pain. <\/p>\n
Between his first French Open win in 2005 and retirement in 2024, the Spaniard won 22 Grand Slam singles titles – the second-highest total of any man.<\/p>\n
He was part of the ‘Big Three’ era, where he, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic carved up the sport’s biggest prizes and thrilled fans.<\/p>\n
But a chronic foot injury meant Nadal had to find different ways just to get through matches, let alone win them.<\/p>\n
In a new Netflix series, the 39-year-old opens up about the risks he took with his health in order to achieve greatness.<\/p>\n
“I’ve had to make decisions about my health, where you are on the borderline between right or wrong,” Nadal said.<\/p>\n
“But if I hadn’t explored all that, I probably would have had 10 fewer Grand Slams. I’m not saying one or two, I’m saying 10 or 12. This is the reality.”<\/p>\n
In 2005 the long-haired, muscular teenage sensation announced himself to the world by winning the French Open at his first attempt, beating world number one Roger Federer in the semi-finals on his 19th birthday.<\/p>\n
He finished that season ranked second in the world, having won 11 singles titles.<\/p>\n
However, it was also the year Nadal’s injury struggle began in earnest.<\/p>\n