"If we are not able to find an improvement or a small solution, then it's becoming super difficult for me" - Rafael Nadal on his chronic foot issue

Rafael Nadal provided an update on his chronic foot issue after beating Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open on Tuesday. He admitted that the issue could spell the end of his career if a "small solution" is not found quickly.

Nadal has a chronic degenerative condition in his foot called Mueller-Weiss syndrome, which he has been suffering from since the start of his career. The condition causes immense pain and deformity to one of the bones in his foot, making it extremely difficult to play consistently.

The Mallorcan's issue resurfaced during last year's French Open, ruling him out for the rest of the season barring a couple of matches at the Citi Open, where he played through the pain.

Given his physical concerns and the fact that he will turn 36 in a couple of days, Nadal's days on tour are numbered. As such, during his post-match press conference, he was asked whether each match at Roland Garros felt like his last.

The 13-time champion pointed to the uncertainty of the situation, explaining that he takes it one tournament at a time.

"No, I don't know what can happen," Nadal said. "I think, as I said before, I'm gonna be playing this tournament because we are doing the things to be ready to play this tournament, but I don't know what's gonna happen after here."

The fifth seed lamented the fact that his chronic foot condition could make things tougher for him in the long run.

"I mean, I have what I have there in the foot, so if we are not able to find an improvement or a small solution on that, then it's becoming super difficult for me, no," he added. "So that's it."

Having said that, the Spaniard asserted that he remains focused on the present, which for him is a semifinal clash against Alexander Zverev in a couple of days.

"No, no, I am just enjoying every day that I have the chance to be here, and without thinking much about what can happen on the future, no. Of course I'm gonna keep fighting to find a solution for that, but for the moment, we haven't (smiling)," said the Spaniard. "So just give myself a chance to play another semifinals here in Roland Garros is a lot of energy for me."

"The crowd have been amazing since the beginning of the tournament" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal heaped praise on the crowd support he has been enjoying at this year's French Open. Tongue firmly in cheek, he joked that the extra support could be due to fans fearing this could be his last-ever Roland Garros campaign.

"Well, the crowd have been amazing since the beginning of the tournament," Rafael Nadal said. "I don't know. I think probably they know that I not gonna be here for a lot of more times (smiling)."

Nadal described the French Open as the "most important place" in his tennis career before expressing his gratitude to fans for all the support he has received over the years.

"Yeah, I mean, the feeling about playing in the most important place and the most special place personally in my tennis career, I feel the support of all the crowd is just something very difficult to describe, no?" the Spaniard remarked. "So just can't thank enough everyone here in Paris for making me feel that way, no? Have been one of these unforgettable nights. So thank you very much, everyone."