Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal shows a great fighter’s heart – but the big show against Nick Kyrgios is in the stars

If Rafael Nadal even considers retiring during a match, then he must be feeling bad.

“There’s something wrong in the abdomen, to be honest,” admitted the two-time player Wimbledon champion following 3: 6, 7: 5, 3: 6, 7: 5, 7: 6 (10: 4) once morest Taylor Fritz to. He had to fear because of his abdominal muscle injury “might not be able to complete the game”.

Previously, on Center Court, he had once once more proven what is possible if the will is just big enough.

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At times Nadal was miles away from his best form, gave up a break advantage in the fifth set – and was still there in the match tie-break following more than four hours of torment.

Wimbledon gets a big show – or not?

The result: Wimbledon gets its big show in the semifinals on Friday – Nadal versus Kyrgios. At least that’s the plan. That there will be a spectacular duel is not yet certain. Nadal had left his participation in the last four open due to the injury.

“There are more important things than a Wimbledon victory, that’s health. Let’s see how that develops,” he said following his victory over Fritz. A decision should only be made following extensive investigations.

If the game takes place, Kyrgios will probably pull out all the stops, as almost always when it comes to one of the big ones.

Corretja exclusive: That’s what matters to Nadal once morest Kyrgios

What that can look like led Kyrgios in round three once morest Stefanos Tsitsipas before. The 27-year-old plays the entire range of provocations, complaints and distractions. But only until Tsitsipas was very annoyed and was up to 180.

After that, Kyrgios focused on his game and threw the Greek out of the tournament.

Sting safe: “Kyrgios will make his Mäzchen”

“Nick will do his antics and games once morest Rafa. He will complain, complain, talk to his box,” says Michael Stich in his role as a TV expert on “Sky”. In contrast to Tsitsipas, according to the 1992 Wimbledon winner, the method will not catch Nadal.

“He has learned not to respond to it anymore,” says Stich.

However, the 53-year-old sees a problem on Kyrgios, the extent of which World Ranking 40th probably not clear. “Nick will quickly notice how the sympathies are distributed – and that will frustrate him,” says Stich. There was already an indication of what to expect from the ranks following Nadal’s game once morest Fritz.

Kyrgios – court date makes headlines

When the name Kyrgios came up in a question during the on-court interview, viewers immediately expressed their displeasure. Nadal himself pointed out, as usual, fairly that “Kyrgios is a great player on all surfaces, but especially on grass”. He has to give 100 percent to have a chance.

But that’s only true if Kyrgios unfolds its full potential. Seen from the outside, it has become even more difficult since it became known that the Tennis professional on August 2nd in a court in Australia’s capital Canberra has to appear because the ex-girlfriend raises serious allegations once morest the 27-year-old.

Despite everything, Kyrgios is in better shape than ever at the classic lawn – and he has a statistic that Nadal just following his Five-set game once morest Fritz may be of interest: Kyrgios has a 6-0 record in full-distance games at the All England Club.

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