"What hurts is I could not compete" - Nadal after landing in Barcelona
ATP
After officially withdrawing from the Wimbledon Championships, Rafael Nadal touched down back home in Spain and briefly commented on the situation to the media members who swarmed him.
Nadal was enjoying a great run at Wimbledon when disaster struck in his match against Taylor Fritz. It was a quarter-final match, and Nadal was favored to win it, but he seemed to be struggling with an injury.
He took medical timeouts and talked to his box, with almost everyone present advising him to retire. Still, he elected to play through the injury, ultimately winning the match in five sets.
As heroic as that performance was, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. After doing tests after the match, Nadal announced that he had to withdraw from the event due to an abdominal injury, which would get significantly worse if he opted to play.
It was a disappointing way to end a promising run at Wimbledon, which he confirmed to the media members assembled back home in Spain, where he touched down not long ago.
"What hurts is that I couldn't compete in a privileged situation because I was playing well and in the semi-finals of a tournament as important as Wimbledon."
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"In the end, there is nothing left but to look forward and have a positive attitude. You know what's up, but you always want to play and try to the end. I am a fairly calm person and I try to analyse things with perspective, looking for the logical and rational part."
Now, the Spaniard will need to focus his efforts on the rehabilitation, which he will hope goes smoothly and quickly so that he can be ready to play at the 2022 US Open.
He has won two Grand Slams this year and is hoping to win another one. He got close at Wimbledon, but his body betrayed him.
