Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal came from behind to beat Taylor Fritz in a five-set quarter-final thriller at Wimbledon, keeping his calendar Grand Slam hopes alive.
Nadal appeared to be on the verge of withdrawing when he summoned the trainer to treat an abdominal problem during the second set, but he came back from a set down twice against the American to seal a remarkable 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) victory in four hours and 20 minutes.
The 36-year-old Spaniard, who won the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year to set a men’s record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, will face Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals on Friday after the Australian advanced to the last four for the first time with a straight-sets win over Cristian Garin.
“The body, in general, is fine, but something is not going well in the abdominal,” two-time champion Nadal said on court after the match.
“I have to find a way to serve a little bit different. For a lot of moments, I was thinking maybe I will not be able to finish the match.”
“I hope to be ready to play. That’s the first thing. Then, Nick is a great player in all surfaces but especially here on grass. He’s having a great grass-court season. It’s going to be a big challenge, I’m going to need to be at 100 per cent to have chances and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
When Nadal was hampered by a fractured rib in the Indian Wells final in March, it appeared that history was repeating itself when American Fritz, seeded 11, ended Nadal’s winning streak at 20 matches.
However, on this occasion, the 24-year-old, who was playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, appeared to be distracted by Nadal’s plight, while also requiring treatment on his heavily strapped thigh.
Nadal makes an incredible comeback
On paper, Nadal’s fourth-round win over Botic van de Zandschulp had been straightforward, but the tape was visible on the Spaniard’s abdomen.
After declining to discuss the issue, Nadal looked in fine form against Fritz, breaking serve in the first game and cruising to a 3-1 lead.
The American then began to seriously threaten the second seed’s serve, and a five-game winning streak earned him the first set.
Nadal responded well and broke serve to begin the second set, but the pattern repeated itself when Fritz returned, his opponent’s serving speeds noticeably slower.
After battling to hold serve and lead 4-3, the 36-year-old walked off court for a lengthy medical time-out with a rueful expression on his face.
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