Google News Rafael Nadal reflects on very unfortunate end to his promising 2022 Wimbledon run
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 5605
Rafael Nadal said he felt he was in "a very good position" to win Wimbledon before he sustained an incredibly unfortunate abdominal injury. Nadal, 36, came to Wimbledon with a shot at capturing a Calendar Grand Slam. After winning the Australian Open and French Open titles, Nadal was hoping to win his second Wimbledon title in 2022.
Then, Nadal sustained an abdominal injury during a five-set quarterfinal win over Taylor Fritz. After the match, the scans revealed that Nadal sustained a seven-millimeter abdominal tear. Nadal called a press conference the day before his Wimbledon semifinal against Nick Kyrgios and everyone knew at that point that the Spaniard's run at The Championships was over.
Nadal on an unfortunate end to his Wimbledon run
"In fact, not since my second title in 2010 had I played so well in London. I was in a very good personal position to try to win it again. On that stage I got hurt and from then on the year has been a disaster, because I did it again the week before the US Open but I did not want to say anything at the time because I'm tired of talking about sorrows (Rafa laughs).
Then I had to recover again and then my son was born, so it was difficult to reach the last stretch of the season with optimal preparation," Nadal told Marca. Even though Nadal didn't win Wimbledon, he was still unbeaten on the Grand Slam level after the first three Grand Slam tournaments of the year.
In his Wimbledon semifinal, Nadal gave a walkover to Kyrgios and walkovers don't count as wins or losses in official ATP stats. Two months later, Nadal was able to compete at the Us Open but it was clear that he was lacking matches and that he wasn't fully fit for the tournament.
In the end, Nadal's US Open run ended in the round-of-16 with a loss to Taylor Fritz. Now, Nadal is preparing to defend his Australian Open title.