Nadal plays down foot injury
Nadal plays down foot injury 
From correspondents in Madrid, Spain
Former Australian Captain November 30, 2007
RAFAEl Nadal insisted a left foot injury that makes it difficult for him to run has not affected his game and is not career-threatening.
The world No.2 was responding to reports quoting his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, that the injury could affect his future career.
“It’s very serious,” Toni Nadal told a Spanish daily. “I don’t know
if it’s career-threatening. I’ll let the doctor reply to that. Rafa has to take a lot of precautions when he plays.”
But the 21-year-old Nadal said the injury has not prevented him from playing his best.
“There is no reason for alarm. I tell you honestly that my career is not in danger,” Nadal said.
“(It) has not prevented me from being number two in the world and playing at the highest level for the past two years,” he said.
But he admitted that he had to change his training to deal with the problem.
“We’ve changed training over the past two years and we can’t train with the same intensity as before,” he said.
According to Spanish media, sportswear firm Nike have designed shoes specially to allow Nadal to continue to play comfortably despite the inflammation which makes it difficult for him to run.
Agence France-Presse