Wimbledon tennis: Rafael Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios due to injury

Rafael Nadal will not take part in the 2022 Wimbledon semi-finals. Photo / Getty

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of his Wimbledon semifinal against Nick Kyrgios due to his abdominal injury, handing the Australian a walkover bye into Monday's final.

Nadal called an unscheduled press conference on Friday where he confirmed his withdrawal after failing to recover from the abdominal tear he suffered in his quarter-final victory over Taylor Fritz.

"I have to pull out of the tournament," Nadal said. "As everybody saw yesterday I have been suffering with pain in the abdominal [area]. That's confirmed. I have a tear in the muscle. I feel very sad to say that."

He added: "I make my decision because I believe I can't win two matches under these circumstances. I can't serve, not only not at the right speed, but it's [that] I can't do the normal movement to serve.

"I have to say that to imagine myself winning two matches and for respect to myself in some way I don't want to go out there and not be competitive enough to play at the level I need to play to achieve my goal, and with a big chance of making things worse.

"A couple of weeks ago I saw my career [future] very difficult. Things now are better in that way without a doubt. But as I always said the most important thing is happiness over any title.

"I can't risk that much and stay two-three months out of competition because that would be tough for me. If that happens, it happens, but not because I wasn't doing things properly."

We're sad to see it end this way, @RafaelNadal

Thank you for another year of unforgettable moments at The Championships#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/XadiEVxaWF

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2022

Reports in Spain claimed Nadal had a 7mm tear in his abdominal muscle after undergoing scans.

Nadal was due to practise on Friday but failed to turn up at the scheduled time. He later arrived at the Wimbledon grounds and trained on Aorangi Park for 45 minutes.

The withdrawal of the two-time Wimbledon champion means Kyrgios will face the winner of Cameron Norrie and Novak Djokovic's semifinal, which will take place on Centre Court on Saturday.

A walkover into the final has never happened at Wimbledon but in 1931 the final wasn't played after Frank Shields gave a walkover to Sidney Wood after the United States Tennis Association told him to rest his injured knee in a bid to be fit for an important Davis Cup match.

Kyrgios vs Nadal is only the second walkover in a grand slam men's semifinal or final during Open Era. The first came in 1992 at the Australian Open semifinal when Richard Krajicek defaulted from his match with Jim Courier because of tendinitis in his shoulder.

Kyrgios and Nadal haven't got on in the past but the Canberran took to Instagram after the announcement to wish his rival well.

"Different players, different personalities. @rafaelnadal I hope your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon. Till next time," Kyrgios wrote alongside a photo post of the two players shaking hands at the net.