Rafael Nadal has announced his withdrawal from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships due to an abdominal injury.
Nadal faced Taylor Fritz in a complicated quarter-final match at the grass-court major, which ultimately extended to five sets. The Spaniard struggled greatly with an abdominal issue, which prevented him from playing as well as he had hoped.
Despite suggestions from his box to retire from the match, the Spaniard kept going and sensationally beat Fritz, who lamented the missed chance after the match.
When it comes to Nadal, many wondered what type of injury it was and whether he would be able to play in the semi-final. Initially, the prognosis was skeptical because if it was a tear, then he likely wouldn’t be able to play.
If he did play in spite of that, then he would be greatly diminished. Unfortunately, the news isn’t very good as Nadal did confirm in a brief statement that he does indeed have a muscle tear in his abdomen.
In the same announcement, he confirmed what had been known - the injury will get considerably worse if he does play in the semi-final, so with that in mind, the Spaniard confirmed that he won't be playing the semi-final match.
"I have to pull out of the tournament. As everybody saw yesterday I have been suffering with the pain in the abdominal. I have a tear in the muscle. It doesn't make sense to play, injury will get worse."
It’s an unfortunate development for Nadal, who was playing very well and might have even fancied his chances at the event. Fans now also won’t see the iconic matchup with Nick Kyrgios.
What this withdrawal also means is that Kyrgios will play in the final of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. The Australian player is officially through to his first-ever Grand Slam final, and what an event to make a final at.
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