CURRENT WORLD NO.2 tennis player Rafael Nadal has admitted he considered a switch to golf, as he suffered from a career-threatening foot injury in 2005.
Writing in his autobiography, the Spaniard, who has since won two Wimbledons and one US Open title, admitted to being at his lowest ebb due to persistent injury problems.
He wrote:
“[The] diagnosis had initially been like a shot to the head. The bone still hurts me. It remains under control, just, but we can never drop our guard.”
Nadal said that he contemplated a move to golf after doctors diagnosed a congenital bone problem in his foot, leaving him “depressed” and “without appetite for life”.
He added:
“My knees were the immediate reason but I knew the root cause was my state of mind.”
Nadal, who is a personal friend of Rory McIlroy, is an avid golf fan, and also recalled his friendship with the late Seve Ballesteros, saying:
“I had the chance to meet him and the honour to play 18 holes with him a couple of years ago in Madrid. He was impressive. We all looked at him as a role model.”
Nadal’s autobiography, entitled ‘Rafa’, hits stores today.
