"Such a shame his body isn’t allowing him to continue - his spirit is unbreakable - hope he will be back soon" - Martina Navratilova and others react to Rafael Nadal withdrawing from Wimbledon

About to play a Grand Slam semifinal for the 38th time in his career, second seed Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships due to an abdominal injury.

As a result, Australia's Nick Kyrgios, who was set to face the Spaniard on Friday, becomes the first men's finalist at the grass-court Major this year. He awaits the winner of the semifinal clash between Novak Djokovic and Cameron Norrie.

Reacting to the unfortunate news, World No. 40 Kyrgios took to Instagram to wish the 22-time Grand Slam champion a fast recovery.

"Different players, different personalities. @rafaelnadal I hope your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon. till next time," Kyrgios said.

Former World No. 1 Martina Navratilova of America expressed her dejection as well. Calling Nadal a class act, Navratilova hoped to see him back soon.

"Just so disappointed for @RafaelNadal - such a shame his body isn’t allowing him to continue- his spirit is unbreakable- hope he will be back soon- VAMOS Champ!!! #classact all the way," Navratilova said.

Pam Shriver, the 22-time Grand Slam doubles winner, said that she felt for Taylor Fritz, who was beaten by Nadal in the quarterfinals.

"I feel for Taylor Fritz. Should tennis re-examine the lucky loser rule’s scope?" Shriver wrote.

American actor Val Kilmer hoped for a "speedy recovery" and thanked the 36-year-old for giving it his all over the years.

"@RafaelNadal thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy recovery. Thanks for so many years of giving it your all," Kilmer tweeted.

---

Reports suggest Rafael Nadal has a 7 mm abdominal tear

Rafael Nadal asked for a medical timeout during the quarterfinal match against Taylor Fritz

Rafael Nadal has been dealing with an abdominal issue for a couple of weeks. Throughout the tournament in London, he has used athletic tape but refused to speak about it after his fourth-round win. During the quarterfinals between Nadal and Taylor Fritz, the injury seemed to aggravate during the second set. The Spaniard asked for a medical timeout as his father asked him to retire mid-match.

Having been undefeated at the Majors this year, Nadal slowed down but continued to fight and eventually won the match 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) in four hours and 20 minutes. On Thursday, Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the player has a 7 millimeter abdominal tear but still wanted to compete in the semifinals.

However, Nadal called for a press conference by the end of the day and announced his decision to withdraw.

"Unfortunately, as you can imagine, I am here because I have to pull out from the tournament. As everyone saw yesterday, I have been suffering with a pain in the abdominal and something was not okay there. That is confirmed, I have a tear in the muscle. It is very tough circumstances but it is obvious if I keep going the injury will be worse and worse," Nadal said.