Fans devastated for ‘true competitor’ Nadal as he pulls out of Wimbledon

Tennis fans at Wimbledon say they are “devastated” for Rafael Nadal after he was forced to pull out of the grand slam tournament due to an abdominal injury.

The 22-time grand-slam champion battled through the issue to beat Taylor Fritz in five sets on Wednesday to progress into the semi-finals at SW19, but scans a day later revealed the severity of the injury.

Nadal was set to play Nick Kyrgios in Friday’s semi-final, but his Australian opponent will now receive a walkover into a maiden major final.

He announced in a press conference on Thursday evening that he would be withdrawing, ending his bid for winning all four grand slams in a year.

His would-be opponent Kyrgios paid tribute to Nadal on Instagram, sharing a picture of the two shaking hands at the end of a past match.

He wrote: “different players, different personalities. @rafaelnadal I hope your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon