RAFAEL Nadal tested out his injured foot without any obvious discomfort in his first practice at the French Open yesterday.

The 13-time champion at Roland Garros delighted fans, who packed two sides of the 15,000-capacity Court Philippe Chatrier in the baking Paris sun.

Welcomed by the watching Stefanos Tsitsipas, the world number four who was runner-up at the tournament in 2021, Nadal hit with Spanish compatriot Jaume Munar.

It was the 35-year-old’s first public appearance since suffering a recurrence of a chronic foot injury in his Italian Open third round loss to Denis Shapovalov last week.

“I am not injured; I am a player living with an injury. That is it,” Nadal told reporters in Rome.

“It is something that is there, unfortunately, and my day by day is difficult. I am trying hard, but of course it is difficult for me. A lot of days I cannot practice.”

Nadal gave no indication that the effects of the injury followed him to the French capital yesterday, as he practiced for two hours.

The Spanish star, chasing a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title, will learn his first round opponent in the draw today.

Nadal, defeated in the semi-finals by eventual champion Novak Djokovic a year ago, has an astonishing record of 105 victories against just three losses at the tournament since his title-winning debut in 2005.

The French Open gets underway on Sunday. – AFP, May 19, 2022.