13-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal was seen training on Court Philippe Chatrier on Wednesday for the 2022 tournament at Roland Garros.
Spanish ace Rafael Nadal tested out his injured foot in his first practice at the French Open 2022 on Wednesday without any obvious discomfort. The 13-time champion at Roland Garros delighted fans gathered at the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris as he looked geared up to create history in his favourite hunting ground.
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Welcomed by Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, the world number four who was runner-up in 2021, Nadal trained with Spanish compatriot Jaume Munar. And taking to Instagram, the 21-time Grand Slam champion expressed delight to be back in Paris.
"Good evening Paris ❤️ 🇫🇷 Glad to see you again 😉💪🏻😘 @rolandgarros #Paris #Tennis," wrote the Spaniard in an Instagram post alongside a photo of him smiling as the Roland Garros logo can be seen in the background.
It was the 35-year-old's first public appearance since suffering a recurrence of a chronic foot injury in his Italian Open third-round loss to Denis Shapovalov last week.
"I'm not injured, I am a player living with an injury. That's it. It's something that is there unfortunately and my day by day is difficult. I am trying hard but of course it is difficult for me. A lot of days I can't practice," Nadal told reporters in Rome.
On Wednesday, the Spanish ace gave no indication that the effects of the injury had followed him to the French capital as he practised for two hours.
Nadal, chasing a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title, will learn his first-round opponent in Thursday's draw.
The 13-time French Open champion, defeated in the semi-finals by eventual champion Novak Djokovic 12 months ago, has an astonishing record of 105 victories against just three losses at the tournament since his title-winning debut in 2005.