Rafael Nadal reveals he quit Wimbledon for fear his career was at risk
Rafael Nadal says he has revealed he has withdrawn from Wimbledon out of fear that not doing so may be the end of his career.
Nadal had reached the Wimbledon semi-finals of the competition and was due to face Nick Kyrgios on Centre Court on Friday.
However, he injured his abdomen in the quarter-final against Taylor Fritz, with a 7mm tear later discovered in a scan.
He could have played on, but doing so would have made the injury worse and he says he fears his next lengthy injury lay-off may be one too many.
“The most dangerous thing that can happen today is that I end my tennis career, because I think that things are going to go better without a doubt,” he said.
“As I always said, for me the most important thing is happiness more than any title, even if everybody knows how much effort I put to be here.
“But I can’t risk that match and stay two, three months outside of the competition because that would be a tough thing for me. If that happens, it happens. But not because I was not doing things the proper way.”
Rafael Nadal was being urged by his family to quit during the quarter-final, but he carried on playing.
He said he is ‘proud’ of that, but his greatest feeling right now is understandably disappointment.
“I didn’t want to pull out in the middle of a quarter-finals match,” he said. I found a way to finish the match and that is something that I am proud of.
“At the beginning of the match, I was playing at a very, very high level, If anything, that makes me feel a little bit worse because I felt that playing at the level that I was playing, probably I will have a chance.
“But then you confirm that you have an injury, then you make the decision thinking about your health and your future.”
🎾 Free >> Join our legendary newsletter
🎾 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
🎾 Social >> Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
🎾 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
🎾 Watch >> How to enjoy ATP/WTA/Slam tennis on TV
🎾 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner
