Rafael Nadal got a 7mm tear in his abs during the Wimbledon quarter-finals last week. The Spanish phenomenon managed to beat Taylor Fritz in five sets, but had to forfeit on the eve of the semi-final against Nick Kyrgios. His dream of achieving the ‘Calendar Grand Slam’ has therefore vanished, given that Rafa had won the first two majors of 2022.
As if that were not enough, Novak Djokovic has imposed himself for the seventh time in London and has shortened the gap that separates him from Nadal in the all-time standings. Barring unlikely twists, the Serbian will not be able to travel to the United States to compete in the US Open, so the Majorcan will have a great chance to stretch further.
The 36-year-old Iberian should recover in time for the Masters 1000 in Canada, which will be important to refine his preparation for the last Grand Slam of the season. During a recent interview with MARCA, Garbine Muguruza praised his compatriot Rafa Nadal for not giving up in difficult times.
Muguruza opens up on Rafa Nadal
“It hurts because Rafael Nadal was able to understand what he suffers. He is suffering; he has the ability to endure pain and takes it to the extreme and on top of that, he wins.”
Regarding the ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, Muguruza said: “Among the men, there are three aliens, and the others are very good, but there is a big difference.” Rafael Nadal suffered an abdominal injury while competing against the American tennis ace Taylor Fritz.
Although he came out victorious, his injury brought an abrupt end to his journey at this year’s Wimbledon. Therefore, Djokovic, who went through something similar during his 2021 Australian Open campaign, shared his thoughts.
While speaking to the press before his last round clash with Australian Nick Kyrgios, Djokovic spoke about Nadal’s injury and subsequent withdrawal. He said, “Injuries are the worst enemy of every athlete. I give Nadal a lot of credit for the way he fought and won that quarterfinals match with that injury.
He is the one who knows his body the best, so the decision whether to continue or not was always up to him. It is very sad that a tournament so big as Wimbledon did not have a second semi-final. But it is what it is,” he added.
The Serb incurred an abdominal injury while playing against the same opponent, that is the Indian Wells reigning champion Taylor Fritz in the third round of last year’s Australian Open.
