London: Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he was withdrawing from Wimbledon after failing to recover from an abdominal injury, ending his hopes of a calendar Grand Slam.
Semi-final opponent Nick Kyrgios will receive a walkover into Sunday’s final, where he will play either top seed and six-time champion Novak Djokovic or Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, struggled with the injury in a gruelling five-set win against 11th-seeded American Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
Turning up for practice
Spanish sports daily Marca reported on Thursday that Nadal has a “seven-millimetre” tear to his abdomen but had still intended to play. Nadal turned up for practice at Aorangi Park on Thursday, hitting his forehands and backhands after scans confirmed the tear.
But the 36-year-old scheduled a press conference at which he confirmed he was withdrawing.
“I have to pull out of the tournament. As everybody saw yesterday I have been suffering with the pain in the abdominal area,” he said.
“I have a tear in the muscle.”
Nadal, the second seed, was visibly in pain during his match with Fritz and was forced to take a medical time-out in the second set.
But he returned to the court and twice recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7/6 (10/4) in four hours and 21 minutes.
Past instance
After the win, the 36-year-old said he was unsure over his ongoing participation in the tournament. “I can’t give you a clear answer because if I gave you a clear answer and tomorrow another thing happens, I will be a liar,” he said after beating Fritz.
Nadal played under similar circumstances at the 2009 US Open when he had a two-centimetre tear. He went on to make the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro.
