Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has made a decision that is shocking the masses.
The No. 4 ranked 36-year-old has withdrawn from Wimbledon right before his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion announced his decision on Thursday afternoon after a light practice at the All England Club. Nadal will not be fit enough to embark on the battle against Kyrgios due to a 7mm abdominal tear.
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Fans are devastated and concerned that the talented Spaniard will no longer be playing on Centre Court on Friday.
Let’s take a look at what some people are saying about Nadal’s withdrawal from the competition, via social media.
Fans are concerned for Nadal:
And some fans are disappointed Friday’s potentially legendary match will not take place:
While other fans are angry at where this places Kyrgios in the competition:
Nadal has been suffering from an ongoing abdominal injury. He can’t serve at the right speed or make the proper movements.
"It's very tough circumstances -- the injury will get worse and worse I feel very sad to say that," Nadal said in a press conference Thursday. "I can't win two matches under these circumstances.”
Tennis
Nadal has been ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks in his career and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. He has won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, including 14 French Open titles. Nadal has 92 ATP singles titles under his belt, with 36 of those being Masters titles. The Spaniard’s career-long 81 consecutive wins on clay is the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.