Whatever it takes.
Rafael Nadal plans to play through a seven-millimeter abdominal tear in his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios on Friday at Wimbledon, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.
The Spaniard struggled with the injury during a grueling five-set quarterfinal match against American Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
Nadal powered through and eventually won the contest, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5), in four hours and 20 minutes. The second-seeded Nadal is set to face No. 40 Kyrgios in pursuit of his third career Wimbledon title.
“For a lot of moments, I was thinking, ‘Maybe I will not be able to finish the match,'” Nadal said after reaching his eighth semifinal at the All England Club.
Nadal was set to undergo medical tests Thursday, according to ESPN, which reported the abdominal issue actually began a week prior, and got worse in the first set of his semifinal victory against Fritz.
“I’m obviously worried,” said Nadal, who received anti-inflammatories during Wednesday’s match to “relax” the muscle.
Rafael Nadal during his Wimbledon win over Taylor Fritz on July 6, 2022. APFollowing the match, Nadal was unsure if he would be available for this Friday’s semifinal versus Kyrgios.
“I don’t know. Honestly, I can’t give you a clear answer,” Nadal said. “I don’t know exactly what I have. It’s clear something’s not right.”
Nadal appeared at the All England Tennis Club Thursday afternoon, and began training to prepare for the semifinal. Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open and is halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, a feat that has not been accomplished in men’s tennis since Rod Laver won all four Grand Slam events in 1969.
Rafael Nadal on the Wimbledon practice courts the day after beating Taylor Fritz. Getty ImagesKyrgios, meanwhile, is dealing with off-court drama. The Australian tennis player faces allegations of assault against his ex-girlfriend, stemming from an alleged December 2021 incident.
A day prior to his quarterfinal victory against Chile’s Cristian Garin on Wednesday, news.com.au reported that Kyrgios has been charged with assaulting ex Chiara Passari.
Kyrgios is due in court in Canberra, Australia, on Aug. 2 and could face up to two years in prison if he is found guilty. He addressed the situation after beating Garin and said he “has a lot of things [he] wants to say,” but has been advised by his lawyers to not discuss the matter at this time.
Kyrgios added that while it was “hard to focus” on his quarterfinal match against Garin following news of his legal situation, “it didn’t really affect me at all.”
Rafael Nadal during his Wimbledon win over Taylor Fritz on July 6, 2022. AP
Rafael Nadal serves during his Wimbledon win over Taylor Fritz on July 6, 2022. APIf the Nadal-Kyrgios showdown goes as planned, the winner of that match will face the winner of No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 9 Cameron Norrie in the final.




