Rafael Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon Championship due to injury

Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from the Wimbledon tournament on Thursday in a press conference, due to an abdominal injury.

The Spanish tennis star was scheduled to face Nick Kyrgios in their semifinal match on Friday. Kyrgios will now head straight to the final to face winner of the match between Novak Djokivic and Cameron Norrie.

“I have to pull out from the tournament,” Nadal said during a Thursday news conference. “I have a tear in the abdominal muscle.”

Nadal said he spent the whole day thinking about what he should do, but decided it wouldn’t “make sense” to keep going.

“If I keep going, the injury is going to be worse and worse,” said the 22-time grand slam champion, adding how “sad” he felt about it.”

Nadal highlighted that part of his decision was based on the fact he would have to win two matches, the semifinal and the final, to win the championship.

“I believe that I can’t win two matches,” he said. “I don’t want to go out there and not be competitive enough to play at the level that I need to achieve my goal with a big chance to make the things much worse.”

The Spaniards said that he anticipates a three-to-four-weeks recovery and looked to return to compete in upcoming tournaments as expected.

“We’re sad to see it end this way,” Wimbledon tweeted, tagging Nadal. “Thank you for another year of unforgettable moments at The Championships.”

Earlier this year, Nadal played through the pain barrier to win his 14th French Open title, receiving injections in his foot before each match.

In a post-match news conference at Roland Garros, Nadal said his 21-year career had left him enduring pain “every single day.”