‘If I was Rafael Nadal I’d start shooting up that foot again,’ says John McEnroe

John McEnroe says he would start ‘shooting that foot up again’ for both Wimbledon and the US Open if he was Rafael Nadal.

McEnroe was referring to Nadal taking pain-numbing injections in his injured foot at Roland Garros this year.

The injections made the pain from his chronic conditional bearable, and he was able to not only come through the tournament but also win it.

Nadal is not doing the same for Wimbledon having instead undergone radiofrequency treatment to find a more lasting solution.

He says that has been effective, but McEnroe says he wouldn’t be taking the chance at Grand Slams and would be sticking with what worked before.

“Rafa’s toughest one [Grand Slam] is going to be this one (Wimbledon) because if you go by what he said at the French, he was injecting himself in his foot during some, if not all, of his matches,” McEnroe told ESPN.

“I’m not sure how he did it in the first place, and he’s still able to win seven matches and look incredible, right? The guy looked amazing.

“If I’m 36, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to play, going for the Slam, I’d start shooting that foot up again and get through Wimbledon and the [US] Open. That would be me.

“He may be able to play a few more years. He also talked about wanting to be able to walk when he had kids. That’s a risk that no athletes want to take.”

Rafael Nadal will start his quest for a third Wimbledon title on Centre Court on Tuesday, where he will face Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo.

If he is able to win it, he would not only claim a record-extending 23rd major, but also keep his hopes alive of winning a Calendar Grand Slam this year.