Rafael Nadal announced Thursday that he was withdrawing from Wimbledon after failing to recover from an abdominal injury, ending his hopes of a calendar Grand Slam.
Semi-final opponent Nick Kyrgios will receive a walkover into Sunday’s final, where he will play either top seed and six-time champion Novak Djokovic or Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, was visibly in pain during a gruelling five-set win against 11th-seeded American Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
Spanish sports daily Marca earlier Thursday reported that Nadal had a “seven-millimetre” tear to his abdomen but still intended to play.
But the 36-year-old scheduled a press conference later in the day at the All England Club at which he confirmed he was withdrawing.
“Unfortunately as you can imagine I am here because I have to pull out from the tournament,” said the two-time Wimbledon champion.
