Marc Marquez reveals surprising impact of ongoing shoulder injury struggles
Marc Marquez has been battling a right shoulder issue all season
MotoGP champion Marc Marquez admits he has “to be very careful” how he sleeps due to his ongoing right shoulder problems and sees a physiotherapist “more than I’d like”.
The seven-time world champion badly broke his right humerus in a crash at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2020, which ultimately required four major operations over the next two years.
While he avoided damaging his arm, he suffered a complicated right shoulder fracture in a collision last October at the Indonesian Grand Prix just days after winning his seventh MotoGP title.
That injury hindered him in the early part of the 2026 season, as the Ducati rider struggled with an undiagnosed nerve issue.
Further surgery followed in May, with Marc Marquez winning three grands prix since and wiping a 102-point deficit down to 40 points as of this weekend’s Aragon round.
‘I can adapt and be competitive, but not as I’d like’
In a recent interview with the I Paper, Marquez opened up on how he has to sleep in certain ways to avoid aggravating his right arm injury, while also giving up padel.
“I have some limitations, but luckily, I can adapt my riding style and be competitive at the moment,” he said.
“Not as I would like, because I feel I can do more. But enough to fight for the top.
“In daily life, I don’t have many physical limitations if I take care of it in the correct way. I go to the physiotherapist more than I would like.
“But that’s the only way to have a normal life.
“I need to be very careful to sleep on my left side or on my back at night.
“I was playing padel a lot, but not any more with my right arm. I tried to learn to play with my left arm, but it was impossible.”
Marquez admitted ahead of the British Grand Prix earlier this month that the condition of his shoulder “is what it is”, and he is now focused on adapting to what he has.
He struggled at Silverstone, scoring just 10 points out of both races, with a behind-the-scenes Ducati video revealing that he had “no control” over his arm during the grand prix.
Marquez will remain in MotoGP to the end of 2028, after signing a new two-year deal with Ducati.
