Rafael Nadal, and his foot, under scrutiny as he chases third Wimbledon title

Rafael Nadal at the championships for the first time in three years next week, it will be the Spaniard's foot, rather than his formidable forehand, that will be scrutinised to the nth degree. Until a few days ago, very few people had even heard of 'radiofrequency ablation treatment' - a procedure which uses heat on the nerve to quell long-term pain. But it is thanks to that procedure, which the 36-year-old had earlier this month to treat a degenerative condition that affects the bones in his feet, that he is able to turn up at the All England Club ready to target Grand Slam title number 23. When Nadal rocked up at the Australian Open in January, he had not won a major for 15 months, had been out of action for five months due to his chronic foot pain and admitted that he had considered giving it all up for good. Even in Nadal's wildest dreams, it is unlikely that the Spaniard could have imagined the sequence of events that would unfold over the following six months.

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In the recent men's French Open semifinal, Rafael Nadal's concern for Alexander Zverev's ankle injury was obvious. Suffering from a chronic foot injury himself, the Spaniard knows the agony an injured state can cause. Wearing a worried look, Nadal empathised with Zverev, who was writhing in pain on

Despite being troubled on a day-to-day basis by the intense pain and discomfort in his feet, his super-human body somehow managed to carry him through 50 incredible sets at the Australian and French Opens to take his overall slam haul to a men's record 22 - including an eye-popping 14 titles at Roland Garros. "In general, it's just unbelievable what Rafa