Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal charges on despite injury concerns as Simona Halep eyes semis
Rafael Nadal has shrugged off fresh concerns over his fitness as he targets a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Wednesday. The 36-year-old Spaniard played his last-16 clash at the All England Club on Monday against Botic van de Zandschulp with strapping across his abdomen. Only last month, he won a 14th French Open with his troublesome left foot anaesthetised before undergoing career-saving treatment. "I'm a little bit tired to talk about my body, all the issues that I am having," said Nadal. "I prefer to not talk about that now. "For the moment I am healthy enough to keep going and fight for the things that I want." Nadal is halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam by a man since Rod Laver in 1969.
On Wednesday, he will seek to reach the semi-finals for the eighth time when he faces in-form Taylor Fritz. The American is in the last eight of a Slam for the first time and has yet to drop a set. The 24-year-old defeated Nadal in the Indian Wells Masters final earlier this year when the Spaniard was suffering from a cracked rib. That defeat ended his 20-match win streak and forced him to take a six-week rest before the clay court season. Fritz, whose mother played at Wimbledon, said facing Nadal meant all-out attack. Waiting in the semi-final will be either Australian Nick Kyrgios or Chile's Cristian Garin. Despite the presence of Nadal and six-time champion Novak Djokovic in the draw, Kyrgios has arguably been the headline act. He is back in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time since 2014, when he made a mockery of his 144 world ranking to stun Nadal. The 27-year-old has taken his aces count past the 100 mark and hit a total of 257 winners over four rounds. He has also been involved in controversy. Kyrgios