Rafael Nadal is going through a purple patch this season, as he started the year with his 21st Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open. While the Spaniard had to deal with a couple of injuries sideling him for a while, he went on to win his second Grand Slam of the year in Paris. Soon after, Rafa underwent a radiofrequency treatment to find a permanent solution to his chronic foot injury.
The world no. 4 underwent recovery after the injections and was back on the field within a couple of weeks. Rafa decided to return to Wimbledon after three years and compete to win his third major of the season. The King of Clay has been quite good in the tournament as he continued his winning form during the quarterfinal encounter on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old defeated Taylor Fritz in a dramatic five-set encounter to enter the semifinals at the All England Lawn Tennis club. After losing the first set to the American tennis star, Nadal was forced to leave the court for a medical timeout during the second set. The Spaniard struggled with an abdominal issue during the four-hour and 20 minutes quarterfinal game. But, Rafa kept on fighting and clinched the match by 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), winning the tie-breaker in the deciding set.
Nadal Talks About His Quarterfinal Win & Health
After the quarterfinal win, Nadal said it was a tough afternoon for him against a great player. Rafa appreciated Fritz for his great form during the whole season. Moreover, the Spaniard revealed that it was not an easy match for him and was happy to reach the semifinals. Rafael also shared that his body was doing fine in general but had some problems in the abdominal area. To counter the pain, Rafa was forced to serve differently and felt on several occasions that he would not be able to finish the game. He added, “But, I don’t know. The court, the energy helped me.”
Meanwhile, Nadal will now face Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals. The Australian star defeated Cristian Garin by 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(5) to clinch a semifinal spot at Wimbledon. Rafa said that he hopes to be ready to play. The 36-year-old mentioned that Nick is a great all-surface player, especially on grass, and is having a great grass-court season. Thus, Nadal believes, “I need to be at 100% to keep having the chances. And that’s what I am going to do.”
With a victory against Fritz, Nadal has improved his Wimbledon quarterfinals record to 8-0. The two-time Wimbledon champ would hope to put up a strong performance in the upcoming encounter and would likely face Novak Djokovic in the finals. Nole is the defending champion and has also made it to the semifinals so far.