Rafael Nadal still wins his quarterfinals in pain, but the injury is too serious for another match. The Spanish tennis superstar cancels his semifinals at Wimbledon. Opponent Nick Kyrgios reaches the final where he will now go well rested.
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 evening before the match. “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 Spaniard 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 withdrawal, the chance for the dream final against 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.
