Rafael Nadal books Wimbledon semi-final spot to keep Surface Slam dream alive

Rafael Nadal kept his hopes of achieving a 2022 Surface Slam alive by producing a superb comeback to beat American Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) and reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Second-seed Nadal will now face Nick Kyrgios in a blockbuster semi as he looks to add the Wimbledon title to his Roland Garros and Australian Open triumphs this year.

The 36-year-old Spaniard survived an abdominal injury scare during the second set, going off the court for medical treatment before returning for his comeback.

Nadal, a 22-time major champion and two-time Wimbledon winner, has beaten Fritz, Botic van de Zandschulp, Lorenzo Sonego, Ricardas Berankis and Francisco Cerundolo on his way to the last four.

If he lifts the Wimbledon title, Nadal will also claim the 2022 Channel Slam and will become only the second player in the Open Era to do so three times after the great Bjorn Borg.

Fritz performed impressively on his first trip to a Grand Slam quarter-final but will have to deal with a painfully tight defeat after looking in very strong positions.

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Asked how he pulled off the remarkable win despite injury, Nadal told the BBC: ‘I don’t know. I honestly enjoy a lot playing these kind of matches in front of all you guys. I can’t thank you all enough for the support.

‘It’s a tough afternoon against a great player. All the credit to Taylor, he’s been playing great the whole season.

‘For my personal side, it was not an easy match at all, I’m just very happy to be in that semi-final.’

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