Nadal Injured and Out of Wimbledon
Nadal Injured and Out of Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal finally withdrew from Wimbledon. The decision was taken a day before the semi-finals. The decision happened because of a torn abdominal muscle. Now, Nick Kyrgios moved to the semifinals.
In 1931 for the first time, a man pulled out from the oldest Grand Slam tournament. Even if it happened right before a semifinal or final.
Nadal said, “I made my decision because I believe that I can’t win two matches under these circumstances.” “I can’t serve. It’s not only that I can’t serve at the right speed, but it’s also that I can’t do the normal movement to serve.”
The 22-time major champion sometimes feels shy to answer questions in English. He spoke in Spanish, for around 20 minutes. He described himself as “very sad.”
He mentioned that if he tries to continue, it may turn the injury worse.
2016 French Open, he gave a walkover to the opponent before the third round. It was because of having an injured left wrist.
Kyrgios, the 40th-ranked player from Australia, moved towards his first title match. He became the first unseeded finalist of Wimbledon, after Mark Philippoussis.
Mark lost to Roger Federer in 2003.
“I hope your recovery goes well, and we all hope to see you healthy soon,” Kyrgios mentioned in a social media post.
Kyrgios will face either the No. 1 seed or the three-time defending champion. It will be either:
- Novak Djokovic
- No. 9 Cam Norrie of Britain
The finals of the championship will be on Sunday. The semi-final is on Friday.
The second-seeded Nadal, from Spain, is 19-0 in the Grand Slam action in 2022. It includes:
- Trophies at the Australian Open – January
- French Open – June.
The above two wins move him halfway in the Grand Slam calendar year. It happened for the first time in his career.
Nadal’s stomach muscle was bothering him for about a week. The pain turned nearly unbearable in the first set. It continued for 4-hour, 21-minute to victory via a fifth-set tiebreaker. The match was against Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
After the match, Nadal considered stopping till it was over. He was not sure whether he would feel good enough for the next match.
He used two strips of athletic tape for the lower stomach. Took a medical timeout for painkilling pills. Nadal’s father and sister signaled from the stands to quit.
On Thursday Nadal visited the All-England Club for a light practice session. He opted for a practice court to avoid fans’ access.
He concentrated on forehands and backhands and attempted a few servings. It revealed his inability to play using full force.
He said it caused major discomfort to Fritz.
“I was thinking during the whole day about the decision to make,”
We know what happened with Nadal at Roland Garros. He took multiple injections to restrict the chronic pain in the left foot. Nadal insisted he is clueless. Don’t know when he might reach the stage of not being able to play on the court.
He went to new treatment once he left Paris. It worked in his favor. Nadal said it allowed him to walk without a limp.
His performance in five matches on Wimbledon’s grass was really good. It made him think of a chance to win the third title in this tournament. Earlier he won in 2008 and 2010.
The injury changed the course for him.
“I don’t want to go out there, not be competitive enough to play at the level that I need to play to achieve my goal,” Nadal said.
Nadal thought he get side-lined for at least a month. 2022’s last Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open, will start on Aug. 29.