Marc Marquez: "I feel like an animal in a cage

Marc Marquez’s injuries seem never-ending. Since 2020, he has had to face a series of issues that have affected his MotoGP career. This year he climbed back onto the world throne and, right after the celebrations at Motegi, he suffered another incident at Mandalika. Despite everything, the Ducati rider remains the top favorite for the next world title.

The MotoGP champion is in recovery after contact with Marco Bezzecchi in the Indonesian GP. Following his most recent operation on his right arm, he is following a strict rehabilitation program. The goal is to return to full fitness ahead of the start of the next championship. What condition is his shoulder in? "It’s ready to fight. At 20 you feel great, but then you learn to live with pain and discomfort after so many crashes. An athlete is like an animal in a cage. And when you open it even a little, it comes out. So right now I’m the one in the cage. You’re like a tiger; when you open it even a little, you come out with everything."

Rushing the timeline is forbidden—history teaches this. All that remains is to follow the doctors’ instructions meticulously. "Now I feel good, I feel strong, but that’s where they tell me to ‘stop.’ That’s where your support network should guide and advise you. Some athletes are braver than others, some have more grit than others. But the passion and dedication will be the same."

After what happened in 2020, he risked saying goodbye to MotoGP forever. "I remember looking at myself in the mirror and doubting myself after three years without victories. My arm was straight, but straight after four operations. Then I thought it was time to quit. But it’s impossible to draw conclusions on your own. And I was very lucky to have a good group of friends."

In an interview with Dazn, he acknowledges the mistake of having rushed his return after the first humerus operation. "I lost three years of my sporting career, and the mistake wasn’t the crash. It was going back to Jerez. I would have recovered in three to six months. I made that definitive decision, and those were three years lost in my career, but gained in my personal life," Marc Marquez concluded.