Rafael Nadal undergoes treatment for foot injury, shares picture of himself on crutches

Rafael Nadal took to social media on Saturday to give an update on his foot injury. Posting a picture of himself on crutches, the Spaniard wrote that he had received medical treatment for the chronic ailment and was "in the process of recovery".

The foot injury, which has bothered Nadal on several different occasions over the years, resurfaced once again in August this year. The effect of the injury was clearly visible during his participation at the ATP 500 event in Washington, where the 35-year-old lost in the third round.

Rafael Nadal had already withdrawn from Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics prior to Washington, because of a lower back issue. The left foot injury later ruled him out for the remainder of the 2021 season.

In the latest post, the 20-time Slam champion revealed that he had been camping in Barcelona with his medical team. Nadal also said that he had completed the treatment and would "have a few days off", before thanking all his fans for their support.

"Hello everyone, I haven't communicated with you thorugh the networks for a while," Rafael Nadal wrote. "I can tell you I was in Barcelona with my team and medical team to have a treatment to my foot which will need a few days of rest and some weeks out of action."

"I'm already home and starting the recovery," he added. "Thank you all for the support."

Rafael Nadal also revealed he was trying a different treatment to help with the injury this time, without divulging any details. However, sources close to the Spaniard confirmed that he had not undergone surgery.

Rafael Nadal to drop one spot in the upcoming ATP rankings

Rafael Nadal with the 2019 US Open trophy.

Rafael Nadal's foot injury prevented him from participating in the 2021 US Open, where he was set to defend a massive 2000 ranking points.

The Spaniard had triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2019, but did not drop any points last year under the frozen rankings system. The ATP's rankings adjustment in August this year, however, means that he no longer has the luxury of retaining points earned during the 2019 season.

The World No. 5 will now drop a place down to No. 6 - being overtaken by Russia's Andrey Rublev - which would be his lowest ranking since March 2017.