Rafael Nadal admits injury struggle has forced him to ‘drastically change’ his attitude

Rafael Nadal says his 12th French Open title has been down to him drastically’ changing his mentality after seeing his 2019 season threatened by injury.
The world number beat Dominic Thiem in the final at Roland Garros as he claimed his 18th Grand Slam crown.
However, it all could have been so different had he not taken steps to win his battle with injury this year.
“I’ve had too many issues,” Nadal admitted after the match, “so that makes these last few weeks very, very special.
“One possibility was to stop for a while and recover my body.
“And the other was to drastically change my attitude and my mentality.
“I was able to change and fight for every small improvement that I was able to make.”
Nadal’s 2019 has indeed been a very stop-start ordeal. He reached the Australian Open final in January, jusy three months after undergoing ankle surgery.
However, he was unable to play again until Indian Wells in March, where he was forced to pull out mid-tournament.
“After Indian Wells, as I said couple of times, mentally I was down,” he said.
“I lost a little bit of energy, because I had too many issues in a row.
“It is tough when you receive one and then another.
“Mentally I was not enjoying things. I was too worried about my health and, being honest, I was being too negative.
“After the first round in Barcelona, I was able to stay alone for a couple of hours in the room and think about what’s going on, what I need to do.
“And since that first match in Barcelona, I think things have been improving every single day.”
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.
More from Tennis365:
-
-
Tennis365’s Legends of Roland Garros number one: Rafael Nadal
-
-
Comment: Serena Williams’ dismissal of Dominic Thiem damages tennis’ equality cause
-
Comment: Kei Nishikori must work harder on his fitness and make tactical improvements
-
T365 Recall: How Roger Federer magically won the 2009 French Open title
-
Latest
-
WTA Tour
Alycia Parks turns heads in breakthrough run in Lyon
Alycia Parks has been on fire this week continuing her charge up the rankings.
-
Tennis News
Who is Cameron Norrie’s girlfriend, Louise Jacobi?
Louise Jacobi has been involved with Cameron Norrie since 2019.
-
News
Matteo Berrettini outlines his career goals and legacy
Matteo Berrettini is here for a good time not a long time.
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer set for Wimbledon return as talks reach advanced stage
Roger Federer reported to be in talks to join the BBC commentary team at Wimbledon this summer.
-
Tennis News
Ryan Peniston on fighting back from cancer and his glorious summer
Ryan Peniston had to overcome more than most to realise his dreams.
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic labelled strongest and least loved of the big three
Novak Djokovic is feared more than loved.
-
Davis Cup
Dan Evans owns ‘hardest loss to take’ in Davis Cup tie against Colombia
Britain were handed the nightmare trip after failing to qualify for the quarter-finals last year.
-
News
Casper Ruud out to emulate Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem
Casper Ruud believes he can win on any surface.
-
Wimbledon
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina begs Wimbledon to maintain ban on Russian and Belarusian players
Elina Svitolina has begged Wimbledon to maintain the ban.
-
Australian Open
Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open win was a ratings flop for American TV
ESPN have released their viewing figures for the Australian Open final and they suggest just 439,000 viewers watched in America.