Rafael Nadal faces a race against time to be fit for Friday’s ravishing Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios, but can either man stop Novak Djokovic in his relentless pursuit of a fourth consecutive crown? A meeting between 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal and the mercurial Australian has been on the agenda since Kyrgios defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in an ill-tempered third round encounter. Kyrgios rode through his last-eight game against unseeded Chilean Cristian Garin in straight sets on Wednesday to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal.
But it was a different story for Nadal, who had to battle an abdominal injury in a grueling five-set win against 11th-seeded American Taylor Fritz.
The second seed, who was visibly in pain, seemed unlikely to finish the match when he had to take a medical time-out in the second set.
But he returned to court and recovered from a set-down twice to win in four hours and 21 minutes.
The extra time on the pitch for Nadal – two hours longer than Kyrgios – is a factor in itself, but the Spaniard’s injury raises the prospect that he may not even be fit enough to play his semi-final.
Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champions, said he was unsure about his continued entry into the tournament as he focuses on the third leg of a rare Grand Slam calendar.
“I cannot give you a clear answer because if I have given you a clear answer and tomorrow something else happens, then I am a liar,” said the 36-year-old after his quarter-final victory.
Spanish sports newspaper Marca reported on Thursday that Nadal has a “seven millimeters” tear in his abdomen, but plans to play anyway.
He played with a similar injury at the 2009 US Open where he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro.
If the Spaniard is fit to take on Kyrgios, it would be the tournament’s standout equalizer so far in a year when many of the top-class players have fallen out early.
Kyrgios’ tournament was marked by breathtaking shots, as well as his familiar tirades on the field, including a demand that Tsitsipas be ejected from the championships for hitting a ball into the crowd.
The 40th player in the rankings has been fined a total of $14,000 and now has the added distraction of an imminent court appearance in Australia over an assault charge.
Nadal has racked up six wins against Kyrgios in nine encounters between the pair.
The Australian famously defeated Nadal – then number one in the world – en route to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon on his debut in 2014, but the Spaniard retaliated in 2019.
Kyrgios, 27, said he believed the match against Nadal would be the “most watched of all time”.
“We’ve had some absolute fights on that Center Court,” he said. “He won one from me and I won one from him.
“Obviously we have two completely different personalities. However, I feel that we respect each other immensely. I have a feeling that would be a delightful meeting for everyone around the world.”
– Djokovic history bid –
Djokovic had to come back from two sets behind the Italian tenth series player Jannik Sinner in his quarterfinals on Tuesday.
But the 35-year-old finished the competition looking fresh, even pulling off an outrageous winner doing the splits.
The Serbian top division is on a 26-game winning streak at Wimbledon as he aims to equalize with Pete Sampras on seven All England Club titles – just one behind Roger Federer’s men’s record.
British ninth seed Cameron Norrie has vowed to take it to Djokovic and will hope for a wave of home support, but he has an uphill task to bring down the champion.
Djokovic, who defeated the 26-year-old in their only previous encounter, braces himself in front of a partisan crowd.
“There is not much for him to lose,” he said. “Any win from now on is a big deal for him.
promoted
‘I know that. But, you know, I’ve practiced a few times. I know his game well. He’s already here. Of course I’ll do my homework and prepare.’
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article