Wimbledon 2022 - Rafael Nadal has 7mm abdominal tear ahead of Nick Kyrgios clash - reports
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Updated 07/07/2022 at 15:50 GMT
"We need to see how Rafa is," Eurosport's Alex Corretja said of Nadal ahead of his Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios on Friday. "If he is like what he was today [Wednesday], it will be very difficult. He needs to find a solution. Of course against Kyrgios he needs to be 100 per cent. The first and most important thing is that Rafa can be okay to play, then the match is going to be tough."
'He needs to find a solution' - Corretja on Nadal fitness ahead of Kyrgios showdown
Second seed Rafael Nadal suffered a 7mm abdominal tear in his quarter-final win at Wimbledon ahead of his clash with Nick Kyrgios, reports have revealed.
The Spaniard somehow managed to continue his quest to secure a historic Calendar Slam in 2022 after he roared back to beat Fritz in a marathon quarter-final. It took all of Nadal's famous mental strength and physical resilience to come through the encounter with a scoreline of 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 to reach the semi-finals.
Nadal, who was looking to win his third Grand Slam singles title in succession after his incredible triumphs at the Australian Open and French Open already this year, took a medical timeout at 4-3 up in the second set. He battled on valiantly and managed to overcome the American in a final-set thriller.
It has now been reported in the Spanish press that medical tests revealed he suffered a seven-millimetre tear in one of his abdominal muscles during the match. According to Cadena Ser, Nadal appeared at the All England Tennis Club at 2pm on Thursday, and minutes later, he began training to prepare for the semi-final.
Eurosport's Alex Corretja said "it will be very difficult" for Nadal as he attempts to overcome Kyrgios to reach another Wimbledon final, and that his compatriot "needs to find a solution".
"We need to see how Rafa is," Corretja said. "If he is like what he was today [Wednesday], it will be very difficult. He needs to find a solution. Of course, against Kyrgios he needs to be 100 per cent.
"If he goes on court and he sees that playing that way he has a chance to continue and win, he will go ahead. Otherwise, I don't think he will do it because he's got a tough opponent.
"His [Kyrgios] serving rate, he applies a lot of pressure and he also proved to himself that he can play very well from the back of the court, just as he did against [Cristian] Garin. I'm expecting a very tough match. Hopefully, Rafa can recover because we all want everybody to be healthy and then we will see what is going on.
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'He has to be close to 100%' - Wilander on Nadal ahead of Krygios clash
"The first and most important thing is that Rafa can be okay to play, then the match is going to be very tough for both."
He added: "This is unreal, this is epic. Only if you are Rafa Nadal are you able to know how to win this match – I have no clue how he did it, honestly. You could see Rafa was struggling with his abdominals, he probably played better when he was returning because he was using his hands more and hitting the ball a little harder.
"Sometimes when you are tired, instead of using your body you use your wrist and the ball goes even faster – that’s how I think Rafa found a way. Only Rafa Nadal, I think, can stay on the court and manage this type of situation because he is used to suffering so many of these types of injuries throughout his career."
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Mats Wilander added: "It’s impossible to say [if Nadal will recover in time to play Nick Kyrgios], but I remember we did a famous interview on Philippe-Chatrier after the final a few weeks ago and he said he had a couple of injections in his foot and his foot was put to sleep.
"Can you do that with your abdominal muscles? Maybe he can still figure out a way to serve at a decent speed? I am assuming he is not going to hit any tennis balls tomorrow and he’s going to take it very easy and recover.
"Who is the nightmare opponent when you are feeling like this? Novak Djokovic, yes. But also Nick Kyrgios. It’s the worst news ever.
"With Nick Kyrgios, we never talk about the way he moves because he doesn’t play that many matches – he moves incredibly well. He’s a great athlete, the hands that he has, and the shot-making skills were absolutely incredible. There was very little talking to his box, he was very controlled."
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Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
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