Carlos Moya on Rafael Nadal's foot injury: "There is a diagnosis but it is not clear what the best treatment is"

On Friday, Rafael Nadal announced that he would be skipping the US Open and the rest of the season due to a foot injury. Nadal didn't set out an exact timeline for his return, but he did express hope that he would be back fully fit and raring to go sometime in 2022.

Now his coach Carlos Moya has given a few more details about the injury in an interview with El Transistor. Moya revealed that given the nature of Nadal's injury, the team decided that taking a break and returning refreshed for the 2022 season would be the best decision.

"Rafa's main goal is to recover sensations in the foot and in the head, because going in fits and starts throughout the year has not helped him," Moya said. "He started with back pain in Australia, he has played only seven events this year. He missed Wimbledon, the Olympics and now the US Open and the Masters."

"That's why we should not look at what is happening on the circuit and concentrate on him," he added. "The best thing was to stop, rest the foot and refresh the head and ideas to do good training and arrive fresh to 2022."

Moya added that Nadal has unpredictable days when it comes to his foot injury, and that the team wasn't yet sure of the best way to treat it.

"There were days when he finished training with a limp and the next day he was fine," Moya said. "We don't know where this injury is coming from. There is a diagnosis but it is not clear what the best treatment is."

(Quotes translated using Google Translate)

"Rafael Nadal has been in pain for months" - Carlos Moya

Rafael Nadal with coach Carlos Moya

Rafael Nadal has been dealing with a chronic foot problem since 2005. He was told by his doctors that year that he might not be able to continue playing tennis, but the Spaniard has soldiered on for the last 16 years despite the pain.

During his interview, Carlos Moya revealed that this year had been a particularly difficult one for Rafael Nadal with respect to the foot. According to the coach, Nadal's pain reached a point where he couldn't take it any longer.

"When he was diagnosed he was told that he could not compete anymore but with insoles and treatments he has been able to save it," Moya said. "But this year the story has changed; in many trainings he could not finish them and we have had to change and reduce the intensity for the foot keeping the tournaments in mind."

"He has been in pain for months and there comes a time when he couldn't take it anymore," Moya added. "In the last match, he played practically lame."