The game on Center Court had started at a reasonable time in the afternoon. But when Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz approached their last rallies, the sun, which shone on the All England Club’s facility this Wednesday, had already started to descend acutely. Thousands of spectators waited on the famous Henman Hill, a small hill in front of Court No.1, from which the main match on Center Court could be followed on a video screen. In the biggest arena anyway. It was 7:30 p.m. when this intense, dramatic, and also unconventional game in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon tournament came to an end. From Nadal’s point of view it was 3: 6, 7: 5, 3: 6, 7: 5, 6: 6 and 9: 4 in the so-called Champions Tie-Break when Nadal made the next point – 10: 4.
Nadal, yes, he had survived again.
After four hours and 21 minutes he celebrated and not his brave opponent Fritz. The 24-year-old only proved in March that he could be dangerous to Nadal. In the final of the Masters tournament in Indian Wells he even defeated the Spaniard and won his first major title. Although Nadal was physically ailing at the time. Like on Wednesday. Only it wasn’t the rib, like back in California, that bothered him. And neither is his chronically battered left foot, which last worried him at the French Open. This time it was probably the abdominal muscle.
In the short interview on the pitch, after receiving thunderous applause at first, Nadal said when asked how he shot this quarter-final: “I don’t know. Honestly, I enjoy playing these types of matches here in front of you. ” It was a “tough afternoon against a great opponent” and, he immediately admitted: “Personally, it wasn’t an easy match for me.” His body is generally fine – only something in the abdominal muscle region is wrong. He wasn’t more specific.
“Nick is a great player, especially on grass,” says Nadal, looking ahead to the semifinals against Kyrgios. “I have to be at 100 percent on Friday to have a chance.”
And again the crowd cheered when Nadal was asked about his next opponent. On Friday he will meet Australian Nick Kyrgios, the gifted man who is often referred to as a bad boy and who, after beating Chilean Cristian Garín 6: 4, 6: 3, 7: 6 (5), reached his very first semi-final in a Grand Slam . “I hope I’m ready to play,” said Nadal. “Nick is a great player, especially on grass. I have to be at 100 per cent to have a chance.” He left Center Court to loud cheers. Nadal still has the chance to win the third Grand Slam tournament this season. He had already triumphed at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June.
The Mallorcan had started well, he immediately took the service game from Fritz, led 3:1 and 30:15 – but then he didn’t get a game in the first set, 3:6. Even then there were the first signs that something was bothering him. Another early break, 3:0 – Fritz equalized, 3:3. Nadal writhed for the first time after an impact, his face distorted in pain. At the same time, a short video began circulating on the internet showing father Nadal making a sign to his son. It looked like: Stop! That’s how it was interpreted. And indeed: at the press conference later, Nadal confirmed: “They said I should give up.”
Nadal suffered, you could see it with every rally. He reduced the severity of his shots, and Fritz over-revved in the tight closing stages of sets two and four
Even after his round of 16 there were questions about a plaster on Nadal’s stomach, which could be seen when the Spaniard changed his shirt. He had refused answers, but indirectly admitted that he was not quite fit. However, he is tired of always talking about his physical ailments. At 4: 3, Nadal took a break from treatment and left the field. When he came back, he picked up the bat. He didn’t give up. Apparently he can’t give up. But the match was different now.
Nadal suffered, you could see it with every rally. He throttled the hardness of his shots and Fritz overreacted in the tight final phase, losing the set 5:7. But there were always seconds in which Nadal felt visibly uncomfortable. For example after a double fault, with which he allowed Fritz to break to 1: 2. With a second loss of service, Nadal had to give up another set – 3: 6.
He also suffered and struggled: Taylor Fritz from the USA pushed Nadal to his physical limits.
(Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP)
In the fourth set, Fritz continued to look for ways to outmaneuver the battered opponent. After two breaks it was Nadal who surprisingly made the last break and scored the set again with 7: 5. The fifth set remained just as tight as the match so far. It was now just a fight for every tiny advantage. Fritz kept his level extremely high. Break Nadal to 4: 3, re-break, 5: 4, 5: 5. 6:6. Champions tie break to ten points.
This game, which was previously a single exchange of blows, started out completely one-sided in this decision-making format. Nadal scored five points in a row – 5-0. Fritz, who even threw himself lengthways during a rally, was never to recover from that.
Kyrgios reaches a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time – and is surprised himself to have made it
The eccentric Nick Kyrgios, Nadal’s opponent in the semifinals, showed anything but eccentric tennis against Cristian Garín, he shone with brutal efficiency. The 27-year-old prevailed 6: 4, 6: 3, 7: 6 (5). “I never thought that I would be in a semi-final of a Grand Slam,” he said in amazement during the interview on Court No. 1, “I thought the ship had sailed.” He was in a really good mood, “I don’t have a coach, I would never put this burden on anyone,” he said with fine self-mockery, before adding seriously: “No one knows my tennis better than I do.”
