Marquez admits he “didn’t want to walk into the paddock” because he “associated it with pain”

Marc Marquez has admitted there were moments during the long succession of surgeries on his right arm when he simply did not want to set foot in the MotoGP paddock because he associated it with the pain he had endured.

Six weeks ago, Marquez underwent another operation – his seventh on the same arm in six years – this time to solve the loss of feeling and lack of connection caused by damage to the radial nerve, which had been irritated by a screw inserted during a previous procedure.

Since then, the Ducati rider has finally been able to put behind him the uncertainty over whether he would be able to ride normally without his arm suddenly letting him down.

It is the latest chapter in the reigning MotoGP world champion’s long injury ordeal. Just days after clinching last year’s title at Motegi, Marquez was forced to withdraw from the following round in Indonesia after being taken out by Marco Bezzecchi at the start.

The euphoria of securing the championship in Japan lasted barely a week. Before that, the Spaniard had spent five years battling the physical limitations caused by the injuries he sustained to the right side of his body, undergoing repeated operations in an attempt to correct the consequences of the mistake he made at Jerez in 2020.

Determined to return too soon, Marquez attempted to race again just four days after he completed a surgery to repair the fractured humerus in his right arm. It remains, in his own words, the only decision of his career he would change if he could go back in time – largely because of the dark period that followed, with five more operations and countless hours of pain.

“There were times when I didn’t want to walk into the paddock because I associated it with pain,” Marquez said in a recent interview with DAZN.

Having learned to live with that suffering is also why he refuses to become obsessed with winning a 10th world title, a milestone that would move him one championship ahead of Valentino Rossi.

“I’d be incredibly proud to win a 10th title, but whether I retire with nine or 10 championships won’t change my life,” said the Ducati rider. “What I want is to finish my career enjoying racing. I don’t want to end up burned out by MotoGP.”

Marquez’s ability to endure pain and bounce back from adversity has long been one of his defining strengths. In that respect, he shares much with Rafael Nadal, another of Spain’s greatest sporting icons and one of his contemporaries.

Netflix recently released a documentary chronicling Nadal’s tennis career, including the injuries that plagued him from a young age and ultimately led to his retirement at the end of 2024.

Marquez is aware of the documentary and intends to watch it – just not yet.

“I’m not mentally ready to watch Nadal’s documentary,” he admitted. “It’s about suffering, and about the end of his career. I really want to see it, but I’m not ready right now.”

Having recently extended his contract with Ducati, Marquez is expected to remain with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer until at least the end of the 2028 season.

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– The Autosport.com Team