Rafael Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from his Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios with an abdominal injury.
The 36-year-old Spanish second seed received treatment during his quarter-final against Taylor Fritz on Wednesday but pushed through the pain to win in five sets.
“I have tried a lot of times in my career to keep going but it is obvious the injury will get worse,” he said.
Kyrgios will play Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie in Sunday’s final.
Nadal confirmed he has a tear in his abdominal muscle which means he would not be able to be competitive over two matches.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion had practised at Wimbledon away from the media earlier on Thursday but then called a news conference.
“Throughout the whole day I have been thinking about the decision to make,” Nadal told reporters.
“I think it doesn’t make sense to play. I feel very sad to say that.”
Nadal had strapping on his abdomen during his fourth-round match but was in visible pain from the injury against Fritz.
He took a medical timeout during the match and ignored calls from his father and sister to quit before somehow rallying to win.
The two-time Wimbledon champion had been on course for a calendar Grand Slam, having won the Australian and French Opens already this year. (Courtesy BBC)
