Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal injury withdrawal from Nick Kyrgios semi-final leaves fans ‘devastated’
- Spaniard suffered abdominal tear and told tennis officials he couldn’t play after 45-minute practice session
- Australian Kyrgios will now get a walkover into Sunday’s final, where he will face either Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie
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.
The Spaniard 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.
Fans responded with sadness to Nadal’s withdrawal, but also said they felt sorry for Taylor Fritz who narrowly lost to him in the quarter-final.
Others said they felt it was “unfair” that Kyrgios would go straight to the final on Sunday, while Cameron Norrie and Djokovic play a semi-final match on Friday.
Sinead Goggin, 40, an account manager from Ireland, said she was “devastated” by the news.