22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has suffered a tear in his abdomen but is still hopeful of playing in the Wimbledon semi-finals, according to a Spanish media source.
Sports publication Marca has quoted their sources confirming that world No.4 has been diagnosed with a 7mm abdominal tear. It is understood that Nadal had a medical assessment today following his five-set win over Taylor Fritz. It was during that match that he had a medical time out and was seen crouching over a couple of times in pain after serving.
“I am used to holding pain and playing with problems,” Nadal told reporters on Thursday. “Knowing that, when I feel something like I felt, something is not going the proper way in my abdomen.’
“I had these feelings for a couple of days. Without a doubt, today was the worst day. There Has been an important increase of pain and limitation.”
There has been no confirmation as to when the injury issue began but Nadal was seen wearing tape in the region during his fourth round match on Monday. It is the second Grand Slam in a row where he has been dealing with a serious injury issue. At the French Open, he received injections into his foot to help deal with his long-term condition. The 36-year-old has Muller-Weiss syndrome which is a rare and degenerative condition affecting bones in the feet.
Nadal arrived at The All England Club on Thursday but he missed a practice session that was meant to start at 12:3O GMT. It is possible that he could try to book another slot for later in the day. Around 13:00 a member of Nadal’s team told journalist Stuart Fraser that it is unclear if he will practice today or not.
Amid the uncertainty, Marca reports that Nadal will wants to play his semi-final match against Kyrgios, who he leads 6-3 in their head-to-head. He has previously played a Grand Slam with a 2cm tear which was at the 2009 US Open.
