We are all very familiar with the history of Rafael Nadal’s injuries. As his career nears its end, many are asking what might have been if he had been healthy and able to play more tournaments during his remarkable career. Rafa himself is one of those who doesn’t like such questions and we agree that there is little point in discussing what could have happened if something didn’t occur.

We have seen Rafa many times play through injuries, and one of the best coaches is well aware of his sacrifices on the court. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola is facing challenges as his team is currently missing several football players due to injuries, including Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, and Kyle Walker. And he has urged his side to use Rafa as an example and to play through the pain barrier.

He told reporters: “There are moments when injuries are [harmful] injuries and be careful but sometimes if you have problems you have to play. Rafa Nadal played all of his career with pain. He played. And won I don’t know how many Grand Slams. You have to deal with it in modern football or you can’t sustain games every three days at a top club. Kevin is getting better. The last two, three days the doctor said to me that he made a step forward in terms of pain.

“It depends on the players. There are players who say, “OK, I’m ready” and there are players who have more tendency to get niggles with their history. There are the others who just go, go go – that it doesn’t matter what happens. It’s not because they are more or less [focused]. It’s that they can adapt to sustain incredible amounts of efforts every day more than the other ones.”

What does this tell us? As Rafa has often pointed out, the tennis season is long and offers no breaks. This challenge is similar in football, where the demands can also be intense. If you want to stay at the top, you sometimes need to endure the pain and keep playing. In tennis it’s even more harder, there’s no option B – no one can substitute for you!

Source: Goal.com