Wimbledon 2022: Rafael Nadal beats Taylor Fritz despite injury concerns

After overcoming an abdominal ailment to defeat Taylor Fritz in a gripping match, Rafael Nadal gave no assurances that he would be able to show up for his Wimbledon semifinal match against Australian Nick Kyrgios on Friday.

On Wednesday at Centre Court, Nadal was on the verge of quitting his match because of a physical issue, but he found the motivation to defeat Fritz in four hours and 20 minutes, according to Reuters.

The Mallorcan would complete the calendar slam, a feat last accomplished in 1969 by Australian great Rod Laver, with a victory at the US Open at Flushing Meadows and a victory in his third Wimbledon tournament, his first on the well-kept grounds since 2010.

However, the 36-year-old gave no assurance that he would be at Centre Court to continue his historic campaign.

“I don’t know,” Nadal said when asked about his chances of playing the unseeded 27-year-old Kyrgios. “Honestly, 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.”

When Nadal needed medical attention during his quarterfinal match against 11th-seeded Fritz, he acknowledged he had to change his style of play to keep playing. The Spaniard, though, thought about giving up several times throughout the competition.

“I just wanted to give myself a chance. Not easy to leave the tournament, not easy to leave Wimbledon, even if the pain was hard,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said. “I don’t know. I wanted to finish. I fought. Proud about the fighting spirit and the way that I managed to be competitive under that condition.”

Before deciding whether to continue competing at the grasscourt Major, Nadal stated he was concerned about the knee and will get additional scans on Thursday.

Nadal, who participated in and won the Roland Garros tournament while receiving painkiller injections before each match, said: “I am used to holding discomfort and playing with problems.” He only announced his participation in Wimbledon after receiving radiofrequency treatment for foot trouble.

“Knowing that, when I feel something like I felt, that is because something is not going the proper way in the abdomen. But let’s see. I had these feelings for a couple of days. Without a doubt, today was the worst day, has been an important increase of pain and limitation,” he said.