Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal says he ‘hurts’ and ‘couldn’t compete’ with abdominal injury after landing in Spain

Rafael Nadal has expressed his frustration that he “couldn’t compete” in the semi-finals of Wimbledon on Friday after he was forced to withdraw through injury.

“What hurts is that I couldn’t compete in a privileged situation because I was playing well and in the semi-finals of a tournament as important as Wimbledon,” Nadal said after landing in Barcelona on Friday.

“In the end, there is nothing left but to look forward and have a positive attitude.

“You know what’s up, but you always want to play and try to the end. I am a fairly calm person and I try to analyse things with perspective, looking for the logical and rational part.”

Eurosport’s Alex Corretja said he believes his compatriot made “a smart decision” to withdraw from the semi-final clash with Kyrgios considering the extent of the injury.

“It’s a pity, yes, but honestly, it was expected,” Corretja said. “I know that he fought so hard yesterday to beat Taylor Fritz, but today he tried and he realised that he had no chance to compete at the highest level, to beat Kyrgios and most likely [Novak] Djokovic or [Cameron] Norrie in the final.

“For him to play on two days in these circumstances, it was going to be very difficult. I know it’s difficult for him to make the decision, but I think it’s a smart decision because if you can’t play at your top level, it’s going to be almost impossible to win the Slam.

“I believe the most important thing for him now is to recover and take time off because if you get a tough injury, like three or four months again, away from the tournaments it will be devastating for his mind and for his goals for the year.

“We always support Rafa – especially now – and it’s a shame. If he knew that he wouldn’t be able to play the semi-final, I’m sure he would have retired. But he didn’t, and he thought that he might have a chance.”

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