2023-05-19 07:52:15
They are two drops of water. They are identical. They both feel an enormous passion for life, for their sport, for competing at the highest level, for putting on a show, for making others enjoy themselves. Both of them have had to live, in recent years, multiple injuries, overcome problems of such a size that, in any other athlete, they would have caused the withdrawal.
But Marc Márquez y Rafael Nadal They have fought against adversity with the courage that characterizes them and, above all, with the willpower, sacrifice and mentality of what they are, two almost unique champions in their sports. Very few, or no one, has won as much, so well and offering such a great spectacle as Márquez and Nadal, two truly extraordinary, that is why the pilot from Cervera (Lleida), eight times motorcycling world champion, has recognized El A newspaper that, probably, “I am the one who can best understand Rafa (Nadal) at this time.”
Márquez has just reappeared after two horrible years, full, not only of injuries but of very delicate operations, hard and endless recoveries and, above all, tremendous uncertainty about his future. “Yes, I also thought that my sports career was over with my last injury, but I decided to have another operation on my right arm and here I am, fighting again. I hope Rafa can do the same”.
“Injuries are the worst part of our job. And, yes, as Rafa says, sometimes the body tells you ‘up to here, friend'”
Márquez, who is now experiencing a small break of three weeks in the MotoGP World Cup After making a spectacular comeback at Le Mans after overcoming a broken thumb on his right hand, he was shocked to hear Nadal’s announcement yesterday that he will stop competing until next year due to injuries. “Injuries are”, acknowledges Márquez, “the worst part of our profession, the hardest reality for an athlete to assume. That is why I understand Rafa perfectly and that is why I understand how much he will be suffering and how hard it will be on his head ”.
Márquez, who will now take two or three days off “no more, no more”, confesses that “as Nadal has explained, often, even if you pretend to ignore it, the body is sending you warnings and, as Rafa has recounted very expressively, he takes out the white flag and tells you ‘up to here, friend, up to here’. And he forces you to stop ”.
For the very champion of Honda “luckily, my situation could be solved by taking courage and having surgery, for the fourth time, on my right humerus but, certainly, I had already reached an extreme situation. And, yes, everyone knows that I thought about quitting, yes.
Márquez considers that when you go through moments as hard and uncertain as the ones he has lived through in the last two years, which forced him to miss half of the grand prix that have been held due to injuries and fatigue in his body, “ You have to have a very, very, great mental strength and Rafa has it, he has been demonstrating it for many years. And, of course, patience, a lot of patience, sacrifice and faith that, with work, you will get ahead”.
“Rafa is an eternal champion, with enormous mental strength, which will help him get through this moment”
Sometimes, Márquez ends up acknowledging, there is no need to be in a hurry to return. “You have to recover well and try again. Rafa is a sufferer, generous like few others, he has sacrificed his whole life for his sport and I am sure he will fight with all his might to return. He is strong, an eternal champion. I send him a lot of encouragement and I am convinced that he will return and, when he returns, we will once again enjoy his game, his brutal physical display and victories, I am sure ”.
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