Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Wimbledon Ahead Of Semifinals Due To Injury

Rafael Nadal announced Thursday that he was withdrawing from Wimbledon after failing to recover from an abdominal injury, ending his hopes of a calendar Grand Slam. Semi-final opponent Nick Kyrgios will receive a walkover into Sunday's final, where he will play either top seed and six-time champion Novak Djokovic or Britain's Cameron Norrie. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, struggled with the injury in a gruelling five-set win against 11th-seeded American Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.

We're sad to see it end this way, @RafaelNadalThank you for another year of unforgettable moments at The Championships#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/XadiEVxaWF

Spanish sports daily Marca reported on Thursday that Nadal has a "seven-millimetre" tear to his abdomen but had still intended to play.

But the 36-year-old scheduled a press conference at which he confirmed he was withdrawing.

"I have to pull out of the tournament. As everybody saw yesterday I have been suffering with the pain in the abdominal area," he said.

"I have a tear in the muscle."

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Nadal, the second seed, was visibly in pain during his match with Fritz and was forced to take a medical time-out in the second set.

But he returned to the court and twice recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7/6 (10/4) in four hours and 21 minutes.