Rafael Nadal hints Wimbledon withdrawal ahead of Kyrgios clash
ATPThursday, 07 July 2022 at 05:30
Updated at Saturday, 25 January 2025 at 20:38
Rafael Nadal hinted at possibly withdrawing prior to his semi-final match against Nick Kyrgios at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
After a spectacular comeback, Nadal defeated Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. During the match, he was asked by his father and sister to retire from the match because of his injury.
Yet, the 22-time Grand Slam champion fought and won the match to reach his third Wimbledon semi-final in a row. But after the match, the Spaniard appeared unsure about his participation in the semi-final match as he hinted that he might withdraw from the tournament.
"Tomorrow, I’m going to have some more tests. But difficult to know. It's obvious that I am a player who had a lot of things in my tennis career, so I am used to having things, and I am used to holding pain and playing with problems. Knowing that, when I feel something like I felt, that is because something is not going the proper way in abdominal."
Nadal admitted that the pain was the worst in his match against Fritz. Not only did he feel pain, but he was also limited in what he could do on the court, which isn't a positive sign ahead of the semi-final.
"But let's see. It's obvious that today is nothing new. I had these feelings for a couple of days. Without a doubt, today was the worst day. Have been an important increase of pain and limitation. And that's it. I managed to win that match. Let's see what's going on tomorrow."
"The level of tennis, if we put away the problems, something that's difficult, the level of tennis, the feeling that I am having with the ball on my hand is honestly great. I am feeling myself playing very well. I’m worried now, honestly."
Nadal was very honest during his press conference. He admitted that while he would probably want to play, there are also more important things in life, and that's his health, which he's not willing to sacrifice for another major trophy.
"The decision if I play at the end - all the decisions - are the player decision. But at the same time, I need to know different opinions and I need to check everything the proper way."
"There is even something more important than winning Wimbledon, and that is health. Let's see how this is going."
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