Yesterday, July 7, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal
announced his retirement from Wimbledon because of a tear in his
abdominal muscle.
On Thursday evening, Nadal made the announcement at a press
conference room at the All England Club.
“I believe I can’t win two matches under these circumstances,” he
said. “I can’t serve.”
This Wednesday, the day before the announcement, Nadal pulled an
incredible five sets comeback win against Taylor Fritz. In this
match, Nadal took a medical timeout in the second set, and his
family urged him to withdraw from the match to prevent further
injuries.
“I was thinking the whole day about the decision,” he said. “I think
it doesn’t make sense to go.”
Few days ago, Nadal had mentioned his current injury, the tear in his
abdomen. The injury had worsened, and he most likely had torn his
muscle during the fifth set of the quarter final.
The same circumstance happened back in Indian Wells 2022, when
Nadal injured his ribs in the final against Taylor Fritz. Nadal did not
pull a comeback win on that day, making Taylor Fritz succeed the
title.
“The decision at the end — all the decisions — are the player’s
decision, but at the same time I need to know different opinions and
I need to check everything the proper way, no? That is even
something more important than win Wimbledon, that is the health,”
he said.
The withdrawal is especially disappointing because his game has
improved in every match, and most importantly, he is in the
semifinal, two matches away from winning Wimbledon.
“I’m in the semifinals, so I am playing very well the last couple of
days, especially yesterday, at the beginning of the match, playing at
a very, very high level,” he said.
Nadal had won the first two Grand Slams of this year, the Australian
Open and French Open, despite his foot injury, the In the Australian
Open final, he won the tournament with an astonishing comeback
win with 2–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 7–5, defeating the current World No.1
Daniil Medvedev. In the French Open final, he won easily with a
straight set, 6–3, 6–3, 6–0, against Casper Ruud.
Because of his withdrawal, Kyrgios goes straight ahead to his first
Grand Slam final. The 27 years old Australian had never made it to a
semifinal in any Grand Slam singles and is characterized by a career
filled with controversy.
“Different players, different personalities,” Kyrgios wrote of Nadal
in a post on Instagram after the announcement. “@rafaelnadal I hope
your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon till next time.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/sports/tennis/kyrgioswimbledon.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/sports/tennis/kyrgioswimbledon.html
announced his retirement from Wimbledon because of a tear in his
abdominal muscle.
On Thursday evening, Nadal made the announcement at a press
conference room at the All England Club.
“I believe I can’t win two matches under these circumstances,” he
said. “I can’t serve.”
This Wednesday, the day before the announcement, Nadal pulled an
incredible five sets comeback win against Taylor Fritz. In this
match, Nadal took a medical timeout in the second set, and his
family urged him to withdraw from the match to prevent further
injuries.
“I was thinking the whole day about the decision,” he said. “I think
it doesn’t make sense to go.”
Few days ago, Nadal had mentioned his current injury, the tear in his
abdomen. The injury had worsened, and he most likely had torn his
muscle during the fifth set of the quarter final.
The same circumstance happened back in Indian Wells 2022, when
Nadal injured his ribs in the final against Taylor Fritz. Nadal did not
pull a comeback win on that day, making Taylor Fritz succeed the
title.
“The decision at the end — all the decisions — are the player’s
decision, but at the same time I need to know different opinions and
I need to check everything the proper way, no? That is even
something more important than win Wimbledon, that is the health,”
he said.
The withdrawal is especially disappointing because his game has
improved in every match, and most importantly, he is in the
semifinal, two matches away from winning Wimbledon.
“I’m in the semifinals, so I am playing very well the last couple of
days, especially yesterday, at the beginning of the match, playing at
a very, very high level,” he said.
Nadal had won the first two Grand Slams of this year, the Australian
Open and French Open, despite his foot injury, the In the Australian
Open final, he won the tournament with an astonishing comeback
win with 2–6, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 7–5, defeating the current World No.1
Daniil Medvedev. In the French Open final, he won easily with a
straight set, 6–3, 6–3, 6–0, against Casper Ruud.
Because of his withdrawal, Kyrgios goes straight ahead to his first
Grand Slam final. The 27 years old Australian had never made it to a
semifinal in any Grand Slam singles and is characterized by a career
filled with controversy.
“Different players, different personalities,” Kyrgios wrote of Nadal
in a post on Instagram after the announcement. “@rafaelnadal I hope
your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon till next time.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/sports/tennis/kyrgioswimbledon.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/sports/tennis/kyrgioswimbledon.html
