Rafa Nadal surpassed himself to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals. In the middle of the second set against Taylor Fritz, who had won the first set, the Mallorcan, with an anguished face, touched his abdominal area and his face expressed pain. Everything pointed to withdrawal, but after a visit to the locker room to sort out his ideas, he returned to the center court of the All England Club and won in five sets.
“Something is not right in the abdominal area. I had to find a different way to serve. At some point I thought I would not be able to finish. The energy of the court made me continue”, said the winner of 22 Grand Slam after the match, still on the grass where he had signed his last epic victory, the umpteenth of his career.
Nadal was forced to modify his strategy, changing power for strategy. With the limited cards that his body offered him, the one from Manacor avoided retiring despite the indications from the stands of his father, who with obvious gestures invited him to withdraw before a greater evil for his physique. “It has not been easy for me. I can only say that I am very happy,” he added.
“I really enjoy playing this type of match against you, thanks to everyone. It was a tough afternoon against a great player. I wish Taylor the best”, he praised the public and his rival on the 14th anniversary of his legendary victory against Roger Federer in the 2008 final, another of the highlights of his career.
Now, if his abdominal area allows it, he will go out to compete in the semifinals against Nick Kyrgios. “He is a great player on all surfaces, especially on grass. I am going to try to be 100% to face the challenge,” concluded a Nadal who must first go to his doctor’s office to accurately analyze the physical problems of the.
