Rafael Nadal overcame Taylor Fritz to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon but an injury has cast doubt about his future at the tournament.
The 22-time Grand Slam Champion suffered an abdominal injury during the 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) win against the 11th seed in a four-hour and 20-minute marathon and appeared close to retiring during the match but powered through the pain.
Nadal has already admitted to his struggles with a foot injury this year and took time off with a rib injury as well.
On top of all that, he was against a man who had already gotten the better of him once this year and stood against Nadal and another Wimbledon semi-finals appearance.
And the American looked poised for another upset when he won five straight games from 1-3 to win the first set before he broke Nadal to equalize the second as the Spaniard struggled with his injury and took a medical time-out.
He then broke Fritz’s delivery in the 12th game to level the match at one set apiece after returning to the center court. Despite his best efforts, he was broken twice in the third as Fritz cantered to a one-set advantage.
Ever the warrior, Nadal forced a decider after breaking the American thrice before trading breaks in the final set to force a tie-breaker.
It was a one-way show from there on out as Nadal surged 5-0 ahead, then won a 25-shot rally amid raucous applause and converted his second match point with a forehand winner for a memorable victory.
His reward for reaching the semi-finals is a date with enigmatic Nick Kyrgios.
The 40th-ranked Kyrgios brushed aside Cristian Garín 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 for a chance to make the Wimbledon final.
