“Rafael Nadal knew he had to recover much more” - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario's brother explains how Spaniard gave his body ‘chance to compete’

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario's brother Emilio delved into how Rafael Nadal gave his injury-riddled body a chance to compete at the highest level of tennis. Nadal bid tennis adieu in November 2024 after an illustrious career spanning more than two decades.

Throughout his career, Nadal battled various injuries to compete at the highest level and achieve the longevity he ended up having. The Spaniard was told that there was a high chance he wouldn't be able to pursue a career in tennis at the age of 17 due to his Mueller-Weiss syndrome. The Mueller-Weiss syndrome is a rare bone disease that leads to fragmentation of the bone in the foot.

Spanish great Emilio Sanchez Vicario, a former World No. 1 in doubles and a five-time Grand Slam winner talked about how the 22-time Grand Slam Champion correctly knew that recovery was paramount for him. Vicario said how recovery, in his time, wasn't considered as important as it is today and pointed it out as one of the reasons why careers in the earlier days didn't last as long as they do today.

"Rafa was one of the first who, knowing the difficulties he had with his body, knew that he had to recover much more. He needed to give his body the chance to perform and compete," Vicario said. (via Marca)

Despite facing so many injuries, the 38-year-old always managed to find his way back to the upper echelons of the tennis world. In his record-breaking career, the Spanish achieved numerous accolades and milestones, most notably winning the French Open an unprecedented 14 times.

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"Our tennis has experienced its moment of greatest splendor" - Emilio Sanchez Vicario on Rafael Nadal's impact on Spanish tennis

Nadal carrying the Spanish flag after conquering Roger Federer to win 2008 Wimbledon - Source: Getty

Speaking about the impact Rafael Nadal has had on Spanish tennis, Emilio Sanchez Vicario said (via Marca) that the 22-time Grand Slam champion led a base of Spanish professionals, who gave the nation an era to cherish.

"With Rafa, our tennis has experienced its moment of greatest splendor. With him and with those who were around him, because he was not alone, he had very powerful travelling companions because previously there was a very important base of players."

He also added how many budding Spanish professionals would frequently pop up in Challenger level tournaments after being inspired by the 14-time Roland Garros champion to pick up the racket.

"This base meant that more players could enter, they pushed each other, but now it has been greatly reduced. Sometimes you organise a Future or a Challenger and three Spaniards appear in the draw. The impetus for them to appear was given by Rafa and the rest of the tennis players. "

Vicario felt that Spanish tennis should take advantage of the Carlos Alcaraz phenomenon and try to achieve another boom, much like the one provided by Nadal in the past, and the one being currently provided by Jannik Sinner in Italy.