After numerous surgeries, six-time MotoGP former champion Marc Marquez acknowledges it's been "tough to accept" his injury and that "it can never be a regular forearm" anymore.
Marquez suffered a severe break of his right forearm at the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix in 2020, and after being required to receive treatment three times, he eventually skipped the whole season.
After those procedures, his right humerus twisted more than 30 degrees out of its original stance, which prevented him from bike riding until he returned three sets in 2021.
Although taking home three victories a year, Marquez believed he needed a fourth biggest procedure on the forearm halfway into 2022 for the bone injury, which required Marquez to miss six races after the Italian GP.
After making a comeback in September, he finished the season 57 points ahead of the next-best Honda rider, finished third in Australia, in Aragon, and won the pole position in Japan.
In a private chat with Autosport conducted in Valencia last Nov, Marquez stated that while being physically healthier than he was in 2020, he "has to face" the restrictions in his right forearm.
He added that you wonder about your arms a lot of the time. "And frequently, it might be tough to acknowledge or accept that you've got this condition.
But in conclusion, you should acknowledge that it is all you got. It's correct that I underwent my fourth operation, and it's also clear that having your forearm exposed four times means it is unlikely to function normally again.
But after that, you must understand your constraints and try to compensate for them with your physique or other means.
"I don't bother very much, but I do concentrate more on how to manage it, how to respond, and precisely how to progress."
Marquez was relieved that his choice to undergo a fourth surgery on his forearm and forego additional rounds was "right" since he could not endure another season of rehabilitation.
I made the right choice since one alternative was to complete the season and see, according to how I have seen this year, he continued.
And now that it may have been Valencia, a surgery, and a whole season of recovering, I wasn't prepared for it - mentally. So, I decided to have the procedure, which involved breaking my forearm and straightening it.
"For the upcoming opportunity, we will see if I have adequate strength, great intensity, and sufficient prospects to fight for the tournament.
" When things go back to normal, life becomes simpler."