Wimbledon 2022: Nadal Withdraws from Kyrgios Semifinal

Nadal's at the Laver Cup 2024
Photo Credit: Doha Stadium Plus Qatar/ Vinod Divakaran

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from his Wimbledon 2022 semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios after being unable to recover from abdominal injury he suffered in his previous win against Taylor Fritz.

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Nadal struggled through his quarterfinal match against American ace Fritz, needing medical attention in the second set for an abdominal injury. He won in the end, coming back from being two sets to one down to seal a 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) win over his opponent but the result looks to have come at a cost.

In his post-match interview, Nadal admitted he will need to see whether he feels fit enough to come out and play against Kyrgios, who had earlier defeated Cristian Garin in his quarterfinal to make it to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.

The Spanish number one said there were multiple phases during his encounter where he thought he would be unable to finish off the encounter, still finding the will-power to get through the four-plus hour match.

“For a lot of moments I was thinking maybe I will not be able to finish the match.”

And when asked about his chances of even getting down to court for his semifinal match, Nadal said:

“I don’t know. Honestly, I can’t give you a clear answer because if I gave you a clear answer and tomorrow another thing happens, I will a liar.”

Nadal and Kyrgios have clashed nine times in their careers with the Aussie having managed to upset his opponent three times in the process.

On grass, there have been two previous matches between these two and both have won one – Kyrgios triumphing at the 2014 Wimbledon while Nadal managing a victory in the 2019 edition.

Kyrgios has looked like he has been a part at this Wimbledon and has been largely subdued by his own standards even accounting for his shenanigans in his third round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was later taken to five sets by Brandon Nakashima but now stands on the verge of a rare Grand Slam final appearance.

Nadal’s fitness could play a huge role in deciding which way the contest goes.

About Suneer Chowdhary 2122 Articles
Suneer is a Mumbai-based freelance sports journalist with a special affinity towards cricket and tennis. He has also covered six ICC tournaments including Cricket World Cups and Champions Trophy.