"The first four days were terrible, I couldn’t move" - Rafael Nadal recalls his struggle against COVID-19 

Rafael Nadal defeated Maxime Cressy in the finals of the Melbourne Summer Set on Sunday to lift the 89th singles title of his illustrious career. Towards the end of last month, however, things were not looking up for the Spaniard. Upon his return to Spain from Abu Dhabi where he was playing at the Mubadal World Tennis Championships, the Mallorcan tested positive for COVID-19.

In a press conference following his victory in Melbourne, Nadal recalled the terrible joint pain he experienced during the first four symptomatic days of his infection. The former World No. 1 said he suffered from high fever and could barely move. He also felt fatigued for the next three days. On the eighth day, he resumed light training on the bike.

“The first four days were terrible, I couldn’t move. I had awful joint pain. I was either on the sofa or in bed, unable to move. I had a high fever. That was the first four days, " Nadal recalled. "Then I was very tired for three days. Around the eighth day, as I have a bike at home, I started to do half an hour very lightly in order to start working."

Nadal said he subsequently received a negative test report and was able to train at home before deciding to depart for Australia.

"Then I had a negative [test] and I was able to train the odd day at home. I decided to leave for Australia because I understood that it was best for me mentally and in terms of my tennis, ” Nadal said.

The current World No. 6 said he was aware of the "tough situation" he was coming from, plagued by both injuries and COVID-19 in 2021. He said he looks forward to making the most out of every training session.

“I know that I’m coming from a very tough situation. I understand that expectations are always high, because of what I’ve done in my career, but my approach is a little different. I will try to make every day, every training session, count, " the Spaniard said.

"At the moment, I don't feel like a genuine contender; later you never know" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal squandered a two-set lead in his defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Australian Open

The Mallorcan has won the Australian Open only once in his career, back in 2009. However, he does have a history of making deep runs at the tournament, having reached the finals on four occasions in 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019.

The 35-year-old said he doesn't feel like a genuine contender this time around - at least not until the first week plays out.

"At the moment, I don’t feel like a genuine contender for what might come in a week. Later, you never know. Things change quickly in sport. What I have to do is be prepared for what might happen," the 20-time Grand Slam champion said.

The Spaniard hopes to improve his level as the tournament progresses. He believes the only certainty lies in the effort he will put in. He aims to stay on the correct path, work hard and be ready for the challenges as they come by.

"If things improve, I’ll be here. You know I will give everything to try and have a chance. That’s why I’m here. Right now, my only goal is to stay on my path, work hard during the week and see if I am ready when I get there, ” Nadal stated.