Rafael Nadal’s run at Wimbledon 2022 came to an end after he pulled out ahead of his Friday's semifinal against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal injury.
The 36-year-old Spaniard, on course for a calendar Grand Slam, announced he was pulling out after a 45 minute practice session earlier in the day in which he clearly looked hampered.
The withdrawal ends Nadal's bid for the Grand Slam following his titles at the Australian Open and Roland Garros earlier this season. Nadal owns a 35-3 record this season, including four titles.
After withdrawing his name from the semi-final, Nadal gave Kyrgios a free pass into what will be his first grand slam final. The 27-year-old Australian will meet the winner of Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie in Sunday's final.
Last time Nadal faced Kyrgios in the second round at Wimbledon in 2019, the match ended on a sour note for the Spaniard.
Kyrgios saved three match points to beat Nadal in a third-set tiebreak in the second round.
However, throughout the match, Kyrgios riled Nadal by complaining to the umpire about the Spaniard taking too much time between his serves.
Nadal responded by accusing the Australian of disrespecting the crowd, himself and his opponent.
“He’s a player who has enormous talent, could be winning grand slams or fighting for the No. 1 ranking. (But) He lacks respect for the crowd, his opponent and towards himself,” Nadal said.
Even Spaniard's uncle, Toni Nadal, slammed Kyrgios. “He (Kyrgios) lacks education and smartness. He should be fighting for the top-rankings and instead, he is No. 40."
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
