The Spaniard somehow managed to continue his bid to secure a historic Calendar Slam in 2022 after storming back to beat Fritz in a marathon quarter-final. It took all of Nadal’s famous mental strength and physical stamina to get through the match 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 to reach the semi-finals. Nadal, who was looking to win his third consecutive Grand Slam singles title after incredible triumphs at the Australian Open and French Open already this year, took a medical time-out at 4-3 in the second set. He fought bravely and managed to overcome the American in a final set thriller. Wimbledon Nadal has 7mm abdominal tear ahead of clash with Kyrgios – reports 4 HOURS AGO It has now been reported in the Spanish press that medical tests have revealed he suffered a seven millimeter tear in one of his abdominal muscles during the match. According to Cadena Ser, Nadal appeared at the All England Tennis Club at 2pm on Thursday and a few minutes later began training to prepare for the semi-final. Nadal admitted that Sebastian’s father, who was sitting in his box inside Center Court, gestured for his son to retire injured when he left the court to receive treatment for the abdominal hernia midway through the second set. It was a situation that left Wilander stunned. “Nadal is very talented tactically. I think he knew he could beat Taylor Fritz despite the injury, even if he is not 100% physically,” Wilander said. “But at the same time, not being 100 percent physically means you can hit the ball better because you’re more relaxed and it’s clearer to you how you have to play: you can’t hit first serves hard, so you have to put is in the game and then work the point from there. “I’m totally surprised because I thought he was going to retire towards the end of the first set. He somehow won the second one and then seemed to get better. Rafael Nadal Suffers Abdominal Rupture During Wimbledon Quarter-Final Image credit: Getty Images “The most important part is that it didn’t affect his run. That’s the biggest difference when you’re injured: if you can’t run, it’s hard to finish the match. But you can’t just serve, hit a two-handed backhand or top- spin forehand. “Should he have been good enough to win it? No, I don’t think so. Taylor Fritz, I’m not sure how he feels today. “You can get used to playing in pain and not being 100 percent. That, I think we can all get used to. The difference is believing if you still have a chance to win. It’s very easy to make an excuse. “Rafa somehow finds the intensity to win the match even though he’s not 100 percent. His humility to play his opponent. It’s not the Wimbledon quarters, it’s not the center court, it’s just him and Taylor Fritz, and he feels like he can handle this guy, even if he’s not 100 percent.” Eurosport’s Alex Corretja said it “will be very difficult” for Nadal as he tries to overcome Kyrgios to reach another Wimbledon final and that his compatriot “has to find a solution”. “We have to see how Rafa is,” Corretta said. “If it’s like what it was today [Wednesday], it will be very difficult. He has to find a solution. Of course, against Kyrgios he has to be 100 percent. “If he goes on the field and sees that by playing like this he has a chance to continue and win, he will go forward. Otherwise, I don’t think he will because he has a tough opponent. ‘He has to find a solution’ – Corretja on Nadal’s fitness ahead of Kyrgios clash “Of [Kyrgios] serve rate, applies a lot of pressure and also proved to himself that he can play very well from the back of the court, as he did against. [Cristian] Garin. I expect a very difficult match. Hopefully Rafa can recover because we all want everyone to be healthy and then we’ll see what happens. “The first and most important thing is that Rafa can be OK to play, then the match will be very difficult for both of them.” He added: “This is unreal, this is epic. Only if you’re Rafa Nadal can you know how to win this match – I have no idea how he did it, honestly. You could see Rafa was struggling with his abs. he probably played better coming back because he used his hands more and hit the ball a little harder. “Sometimes when you’re tired, instead of using your body you use your wrist and the ball goes even faster – that’s how I think Rafa found the way. Only Rafa Nadal, I think, can stay on the court and manage that kind of kind of situations because he’s used to having so many injuries like that throughout his career.” —- Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 22:00 on Eurosport 2 and Discovery+ from 27 June, plus both singles finals live on 9 and 10 July. Wimbledon ‘Worst news ever’ – Why Kyrgios is a ‘nightmare opponent’ for injured Nadal 21 HOURS AGO Wimbledon ‘I thought my ship had sailed’ – Kyrgios ‘really proud’ to reach semi-finals YESTERDAY
