Wimbledon
Tear in the abdominal muscle: Nadal withdraws for the semifinals
Rafael Nadal has to withdraw before the semi-final against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal muscle injury. Photo: John Walton/PA Wire/dpa
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The 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner Rafael Nadal will not appear in his semi-final against Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon on Friday because of an injury. The 36-year-old tennis professional announced this decision at a press conference.
The 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner Rafael Nadal will not appear in his semi-final against Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon on Friday because of an injury. The 36-year-old tennis professional announced this decision at a press conference.
“I have a tear in my abdominal muscle,” said the Spaniard. “I’ve been thinking about my decision all day, but it makes no sense to compete.” He feels “very sad”. He couldn’t risk too much and “take a break for two or three months”.
With Nadal’s withdrawal, 27-year-old Kyrgios is without a fight in the first Grand Slam final of his career, as the organizers confirmed. The Australian will meet the winner of the game between the top seeded defending champion Novak Djokovic from Serbia and Cameron Norrie from Great Britain on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Nadal had already been treated for the injury and received anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers in his five-set win in the quarterfinals against American Taylor Fritz. With the Spaniard’s withdrawal, the chance of a dream final against defending champion Novak Djokovic and the first Grand Slam in men’s tennis in 53 years is over. Only two wins in Wimbledon and a triumph at the US Open were missing to win all four major titles of the year like Rod Laver did in 1969.