Rafa Nadal was again struck by bad luck. He thought he had his foot problem under control but then discovered that he had an abdominal rupture. This has forced him out of the Wimbledon tournament and will prevent him from playing the long-awaited semifinal against Nick Kyrgios.
At an urgent press conference held at the All England Club, the Spaniard stated that he had a tear in his abdomen. “I have a muscle strain. There is a high chance that it will get worse. I have spent the entire day and nearly all of yesterday contemplating this situation. I have finally concluded that I am only worth winning and that the rest of my life is not much use to me. With a torn stomach, it’s almost impossible to imagine winning two matches at this level. It’s futile to try. He said that if I keep going, the injury would be even worse.
The press conference was held several hours after the Spaniard made his first Wimbledon appearance. It took place at noon to assess his condition after injuring his abdomen after playing four matches against Taylor Fritz. He still won the match. In four and a quarter hours of epic tennis. He was on a track that virtually no one had access to for an hour and was being supervised by Dr. Angel Ruiz Cotorro, his doctor. He tried to use the service but was captured by an Australian television with pain gestures.
After much thought and discussion with his team, he decided that he would return to the All England Club late in the afternoon to call a press conference to confirm his withdrawal. He said, “Out of respect for me, I don’t want to go there without being competitive at the level that I have to reach my goal.”
People think I am ambitious because I do certain things. It’s not because I do the things I feel. It’s because I believe I am doing the right things and that it is not putting my health at danger. He said that he has played in so many difficult situations and had some success, there was always hope that this could be one. It was not, and the withdrawal was difficult, not because Nadal hasn’t won Wimbledon in twelve years but because another physical problem seemed to have struck his body while he was still playing.
“Now my foot is much better. This was the biggest concern for me in order to be able continue my career. I am able to play again tennis because my foot is much more stable. I don’t want to risk injury that would prevent me from playing for a long time. He explained that he always prioritizes his personal happiness over any title and success.
He said that the loss period could last three to four weeks, and that if everything goes well, he could be back training at the baseline in one week. The goal is to be in tune for the Montreal Masters 1,000 which will take place August 5-14. This would prepare him for the US Open. He won 19 Grand Slams victories and will go undefeated. Novak Djokovic only managed zero defeats in the Open Era last season.
Nadal said, “I hope this problem doesn’t disrupt my calendar,” adding that he has dropped out of only two Grand Slams during his career. He withdrew from Roland Garros 2016 after sustaining a wrist injury. This Wimbledon 2022 has been added.
Nick Kyrgios, 27, will be playing in his first Grand Slam final. In the best two weeks in his life, the one from Canberra will have the chance to give his career a boost when he takes on Briton Cameron Norrie and Djokovic in the title bout. Djokovic is just one title away of achieving the’major number 21′.
