Sports world divided as Rafael Nadal's admits to using pain killers in French Open 2022

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal won the 22nd Grand Slam title of his career earlier this week by emerging victorious in the French Open 2022 tournament. However, Nadal’s 14th French Open title victory came at the cost of a critical foot injury for him, as he was seen walking with crutches. Meanwhile, the 36-year-old admitted to taking a number of injections in his left foot throughout the French Open to avail relief from his pain.

Speaking during a post-match press conference on June 5, after the 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 2 win against Casper Ruud in the summit clash at Roland Garros, Nadal stated that he used painkillers to get the pain from his foot injury under his control. Speaking to Eurosport, Nadal said, “We played with no feeling in the foot, with a (pain-killing) injection on the nerve. The foot was asleep, and that’s why I was able to play”. He further added that people wouldn’t want to know the number of injections he received. 

What has been said so far?

Although pain-killing injections are legal on the tennis court, a number of sports personalities questioned the ethics of using them. Nadal returned to competing for major titles during the season-opening Australian Open 2022, where he picked up his 21st Grand Slam title. French cyclist Thibaut Pinot took to his social media handle and said, “The heroes of today…”, while replying to Nadal’s comment.

In the meantime, as reported by L’Equipe, French rider Guillaume Martin opened up about the controversy during an interview and said, “What Nadal did would have been impossible in cycling, and I find that normal. If you’re ill or injured, you don’t race, you don’t compete, that makes sense to me, for several reasons." Martin explained his words by adding that painkillers can have effects on performance and can also be used to improve performance. 

How did Rafael Nadal's fans react on social media?

In the meantime, Nadal also admitted that he used painkilling injections only at Roland Garros and he will not be doing the same for the Wimbledon championships. He has seen walking on crutches while returning to his home at Mollorca, which was sparked doubts on his Wimbledon participation. Nadal’s season ended last year after he faced a defeat to the world no. 1 Novak Djokovic at the French Open 2021, and was out of action until returning at the Australian Open 2022, where he picked his 21st Grand Slam title.

(Image: AP)