Published: May 26, 2013

Nadal’s Knee

Rafael Nadal’s style of play and his two-handed backhand put a lot of stress on his injured left knee.

Bearing the Load

Here, on one leg, the knee is bearing a load that may reach up to seven times his body weight, or more than 1,000 pounds. The quadriceps muscle works to keep the knee joint stable. The patellar tendon carries the load from the muscle, putting pressure on the fat pad. The fat pad is located behind the knee cap and was an area of pain for Nadal.

Two-Handed Predicament

Nadal’s two-handed backhand creates more trunk rotation than a one-handed backhand. This creates a more powerful shot but it also creates more strain in the knee joint: the tibia is in a fixed position but the femur is still moving, and the patellar tendon is twisting.

By GRAHAM ROBERTS and JOE WARD

Sources: Dr. Guoan Li and Jingsheng Li, Massachusetts General Hospital; competition video of Nadal from Tennisplayer.net

Correction: June 2, 2013: An illustration last Sunday showing how Rafael Nadal’s left knee would be tested during the French Open misstated the format of the men’s matches in the tournament. They are best of five sets, not best of seven.