Posted: 12:59, July 7, 2022 | Updated: 14:30, July 7, 2022
Rafael Nadal is training at Wimbledon after arriving more than an hour later than scheduled amid fears he may have to pull out of his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios due to injury – although the Spanish star has reportedly vowed to play The Match.
Nadal is out on one of the practice courts at Aorangi Park. According to reports, the media has been prevented from approaching the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
The Spaniard, 36, was scheduled to be on Court 10 – one of the championship courts – at 12.30pm but initially failed to turn up, fueling speculation about his whereabouts.
Spanish newspaper Marca reported that Nadal has a 7mm tear in one of his abdominal muscles but still hopes to face Kyrgios in their surprise clash on Friday.
He’s mostly hitting groundstrokes and not serving at full strength, which Spanish media reported has been the case in practice most of the week.
Rafael Nadal arrived more than an hour late for his scheduled practice session at Wimbledon on Thursday
Rafael Nadal was dealing with an abdominal problem in his quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz.
Nadal’s father Sebastian appeared to urge his son to quit as he struggled with abdominal pains during the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Nadal ignored calls from his box to retire injured with an abdominal problem in his five-set comeback win over Taylor Fritz in their quarter-final.
Sebastian’s father and sister Maria were both caught on television gesturing for him to miss Wednesday’s last eight encounter.
But after taking a medical time-out midway through the second set, the Spaniard stormed back to set up a Center Court showdown with Kyrgios.
Asked if he could continue in the tournament after beating American Fritz, Nadal said: “I don’t know. I’ll do some more tests, but it’s hard to know.
Nadal took a medical timeout in the second set before roaring back to beat Fritz in five sets
“I’ve had these feelings for a few days, but without a doubt, today was the worst day. There was a significant increase in pain and limitation.
‘I worry. I have no decision. I need to know different points of view and I need to check everything in the right way.
“There is something more important than winning Wimbledon and that is health.”
Nadal underwent medical tests on Thursday which revealed the ruptured abdomen.
He is seeking a third Wimbledon title but it remains unclear whether he will be fit enough to play Kyrgios for a place in Sunday’s final.
The main concern for Nadal ahead of Wimbledon was his chronic leg problem, but his stomach hindered him more.
Nadal hopes to be fit enough to play Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals on Friday
