Rafael Nadal raises concerns over facing Nick Kyrgios in semifinals

• Nadal is uncertain about his appearance in the semifinals.
• He revealed that he wanted to withdraw from the quarterfinals.
• He reached the semifinal of the Wimbledon for the eighth time.

Friday’s Wimbledon semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios is uncertain due to Nadal’s health concerns.

The Spaniard beat Taylor Fritz in five sets on Wednesday, although he appeared to be fighting with an abdominal issue.

On other occasions, Nadal remained stooped over and held his abdomen after a shot. The two-time Wimbledon champion called for a trainer in the second set before needing a medical timeout.

“I don’t know,” Nadal said, per Reuters, when asked if he would face Kyrgios. “Honestly, I can’t give you a clear answer because if I gave you a clear answer and tomorrow another thing happens, I will be a liar.”

Nadal confessed after the match that he considered withdrawing from the quarterfinal round.

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“I just wanted to give myself a chance,” he added. [It’s] not easy to leave the tournament, [it’s] not easy to leave Wimbledon, even if the pain was hard. I don’t know. I wanted to finish. I fought. [I’m] proud about the fighting spirit and the way that I managed to be competitive under that condition.

“I am used to holding pain and play with problems. Knowing that, when I feel something like I felt, that is because something is not going the proper way in [my] abdomen.

“But let’s see. I had these feelings for a couple of days. Without a doubt, today was the worst day, has been an important increase of pain and limitation.”

Nadal played despite foot injections to win his 14th French Open this year. Nadal said he suffers “every single day” from his 21-year career at Roland Garros.

The 22-time grand slam champion was injured entering Wimbledon following the French Open, yet he has reached the semifinals for the eighth time.

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