On Wednesday, Rafael Nadal overcame an injury and twice rallied from behind to overcome Taylor fritz.
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Rafael Nadal appeared to have been accused of fabricating an injury during Wednesday’s arduous Wimbledon quarterfinal match against Taylor Fritz by Italian former No. 9 Fabio Fognini. Nadal defeated the 11th seeded American on Centre Court after coming back twice from a set down and avoiding exit. Nadal sought a medical timeout in the second set after dropping the first one, and his trainer came onto the court to tend to him. The All England Club matches where he had been strapped for an abdominal ailment appeared to have taken their toll, and cameras even captured his family pleading with him to retire.
In a grueling match that lasted four hours and 21 minutes, the famous Spaniard persevered despite having brown strapping on the right side of his belly and defeated his 24-year-old opponent Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6. Additionally, his most recent victory—his 17th consecutive victory in Grand Slam competition—was conducted in a way that garnered a lot of support from the crowd and widespread acclaim from spectators across the world. Fognini, who was eliminated at Wimbledon in the first round, didn’t believe his claim of injury. The 35-year-old Italian moved to Instagram to comment on a story about Nadal’s most recent victory, underlining the phrase that read he fought back from injury and writing underneath: “For sure. Guys stop believe in what you read PLEASE!!!”
His valiant victory over Fritz set up a fascinating semifinal matchup with Nick Kyrgios, who is likely to be the Wimbledon 2022 main attraction. The Australian defeated Cristian Garin of Chile in straight sets to advance to the first Grand Slam semifinal while Nadal’s match went on. The 22-time Slam champion said he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to recuperate in time to play Kyrgios after his quarterfinal victory, though. Nadal replied, “I don’t know. “I’m going to have some more tests. It is difficult to know. I am used to having things, and I am used to having pain and playing with problems. Let’s see.
If Nadal is unable to compete, Kyrgios will receive a walkover into the championship match against either British No. 1 Cameron Norrie or first seed Novak Djokovic. However, the 36-year-extraordinary old’s quest for a third Wimbledon victory and Calendar Grand Slam will be supported by fans who hope and pray he succeeds.
